Toh Shin Den II: Thicker Than Water
by Athena Asamiya
Summary: The Toshindaibukai tournament begins again one year later, and all its fighters are called back to the arena for a fight to the death...or whatever comes first. Memories resurge and old betrayals return as the battle continues...Based off of Toshinden 2.
1. Prologue: Prelude II

  
_Author's Notes_ (2002.04.22)

  
Ah...TSDII. The fic that was meant to simply be a "bridge fanfic" between the already-finished TSDI and TSDIII, but turned out to be, I think, one of the better ones of the Trilogy. True to form, this one was based off of Toshinden 2, with a slightly altered storyline and even slightly altered characters (MASTER IS A BOY! IGNORE ME!). 

Slightly altered storyline. Yes. Within this fic lies one of the biggest problems I've ever had -- the spreading of inaccurate information. See, with this fic I took the most artistic licence in dreaming up the pasts and motivations of both Shinjo boys, and unfortunately, far too many readers took it to be the truth. Since I'm the Toshinden accuracy Nazi, I just want to state right now that the whole story with the Shinjo boys' pasts - you'll find out what I mean - is not true. It did not happen. I made that all up primarily to make the plot more interesting. Clear? Good. ^_^ 

Oh, and I will say this once and only once: CUPIDO IS NOT MY ORIGINAL CHARACTER. SHE ACTUALLY EXISTS. 

Thank you, and enjoy. ^_^ 

~ _Athena Asamiya_ (nee Empress Katzy of Toshinden) 

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**- The Toshinden Fanfiction Trilogy -**

_ Toh Shin Den: To Challenge Fate  
Toh Shin Den II: Thicker Than Water  
Toh Shin Den III: Walking Into Ruin_

**- Successors to a Legacy -**

_ Toh Shin Den IV: Legends Never Die - The Pleiades Chapter_

  
  
Original Home: Athena Asamiya & Kasumi Todoh's Battle Arena Toshinden Fanfictions  
    http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Harbor/2472/tsdfic_contents.html  
Year of Original Publication: 1999 

  
  


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** Part 2: **

- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water - 

A Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction written by Kasumi Todoh and Athena Asamiya 

  
"Blood is thicker than water." -- _Unknown_

  
**Prologue: Prelude II**

  
_     A year has passed, though time has done nothing to wear away the vivid memories of last year's Toshindaibukai weaponry tournament, where a group of allied warriors had to face their fears and stand up to their destinies in order to defeat the evil Organization, the Himitsu Kessha, who hosted the tournaments. Believing that they had no more reason to fear the Himitsu's world-dominating threat, the fighters returned to their normal lives, thinking that the danger was over -- for now.     That all happened one year ago.     Now, a new leader, known only as 'the Master', has risen to power among the ranks of the underworld organization in replacement of Uranus, reviving its malevolence once more. The Himitsu Kessha, now partenered in an unholy alliance with another (former rival) Organization and their sinister sharpshooting commander Vermilion, plots to destroy the Toshin fighters and the traitorous Gaia at once, after his recent escape from the Himitsu Kessha's evil. A second Toshindaibukai is announced -- in order to lure Gaia into Master's clutches, and to invite all the previous warriors back for a second round, only to kill last year's rebels by using two hauntingly powerful warriors that Master code-named "the angels of her apocalypse", who will not be easily defeated -- or be defeated at all, along with dark clones created in Eiji and Ellis's image for the sole purpose of murdering their "originals". After the five's death, the two malicious crime organizations will have no one to stand in their way of corrupting the entire world. Victory for the side of good isn't going to be easy won...     Faced with hardships, truth, illusions and justice, Eiji Shinjo, Kayin Amoh, Sofia, Ellis, and Tracy, with the others as well, must all return to the battle arena for a fight to the death...or whatever comes first. And once more, the friends must battle with the forces of darkness for the safety of each other, their families and their world, with the stakes racked higher than ever in this deadly game.     Let the second bout begin... 

  


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	2. Chapter One: Invitation

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Toh Shin Den II: Thicker Than Water  
  
A Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Kasumi Todoh and Athena Asamiya / Empress Katzy

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** Athena's Glossary:**     _hai_ - yes     _-sama_ - honourific used for higher persons, gods etc.     _shikashi_ - but...!     _Soshiki_ - Organization     _Byakko no Tachi_ - White Tiger Sword (ceremonial name for Eiji's katana)     _-chan_ - honourific used for close friends, children or pets, etc.     _niisan_ - informal version of _oniisan_; elder brother     _oi, kodomo!_ - Hey, kids!     _baibai_ - bye-bye     _chikusho_ - dammit   
  
  


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"...And now we're guilt-stricken, sobbing, with our heads on the floor,  
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip, we'd say  
We can't be held responsible."

-- Verve Pipe, "The Freshmen"

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_That which the world has never seen before,  
the ultimate fighting tournament,  
Battle Arena Toshinden.  
It has been a year since the incredible tournament took place.  
Those who fight to find their true selves,  
Those who fight to preserve the future...  
They have assembled to fight again!  
And so, the next tournament begins..._

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** Chapter One  
Invitation**

  
    In a darkened room made of shadows and evil, where thoughts of good are destroyed without reason or reflection, two people are conferring in the official office of the Himitsu Kessha, the secret host organization for the weaponry tournaments of the Toshindaibukai. A young girl is sitting behind a desk and facing another teenage girl seated in front of it. At first glance, one might think this girl is Ellis, the fighter from last year, but she isn't at all. Although the girl is the same height, with the same straight, short hair, blue eyes and a similar outfit, this girl has brown hair and an outfit made of black silk with a blue ribbon wrapped around her waist and tied in a big bow at the back. The younger girl behind the left desk looks to be more tame, in a jumpsuit of pastel mauves, yellows and pinks, shoulder-length azure hair with a golden jewelled tiara crowning her forehead. However, looks can be deceiving, and here, they most definately were. She was known as Master, the Master, ruler of the entire Himitsu Kessha at the age of sixteen. Cold and emotionless, with her undisputed psionic powers and manipulative abilities, she was more than fit for the dark job.     Leaning over the desk and clasping her hands together with finality, she simply stated, "You have your orders, then."     The other girl nodded, unfazed. "Yes. Once the second tournament begins, I dispose of the fighters any way I can, starting with my original, Ellis, and her two friends Eiji and Kayin. And I'm to leave the traitor Gaia up to you."     "Correct." A new, raspier voice rang out through the otherwise-silent room. As a tall, spider-like figure wearing a ragged black trenchcoat and tinted glasses made his way towards the two from the room's entrance, the dark-clothed girl simply turned her head to acknowledge his presence, but Master rose from her chair. "Vermilion, we have no use of you or your Organization for now. I am addressing one of my minions."     Vermilion, named so for the crimson patterns that etched his face underneath a pair of rose-shaded spectacles, only smiled maliciously. "Whom I created."     "If that had any importance right now, I would say so. Leave."     "Soon you will, Master. The next tournament will be set in motion within the next week. Then the partnership between your Himitsu Kessha and our Organization will prove its use."     "Hmph. For your sake, it had better. We have yet to hear from _your_ great superior, whereas I am the leader of this organization."     Vermilion's returning look was shrouded. "He...does not wish to confer with you at this time. Don't forget, he sent me, his ruling commander, to work here as our alliance, so we could put aside out war with each other and work together to destroy the fighters who thwarted last year's plans."     Ignoring the last part, since she saw it as unimportant, Master settled back down and turned to her silent henchwoman. "We have invited all the fighters from last year's tournament. We want you to scout these fighters and find their weak spots, before trying anything. And do nothing without my commands, understood?"     "Hai." The girl pushed back her chair and bowed to Master, then turned and bowed to Vermilion in an equal manner, before leaving the room. After she was gone, Vermilion muttered, "As good a clone as she is, she won't be able to do it alone. Uranus was much more powerful, and even she couldn't defeat all of them."     Master turned around in her chair. "Uranus was too overconfident. She didn't completely follow my orders. But it does not matter. Your so-called 'Dark Ellis' proves that the cloning process works. We'll simply create another fighter to help her." Musing for a moment, Master finally slammed her fist on the desk. "I have it. Eiji Shinjo was the best fighter in last year's tournament. Make a copy of him."     Bowing to Master, Vermilion only replied, "As you wish. This year, the fighters won't know what hit them," before turning around and letting slip an crooked, evil smile, one that spoke of betrayal and hidden agendas, and hastily exiting her presence. Master watched after him, eyes narrowed.     "You forget I am the most powerful psychic in the world, Vermilion. We will see who wins this war, partnership or partnership betrayed."     More footsteps were heard, and two appeared out of the shadows, warriors without equal. The first did not meet Master's gaze, only quietly offering in a Japanese-tinged male voice, "May we help, Master-sama?"     "Yes, please let us," the other, definately female, added on with breathy desperation. "We haven't seen any fun lately. Destroying the Toshin fighters would be enjoyable."     Master closed her eyes and smiled coldly. "No. I'm leaving that up to the clones. After Vermilion's...helpful...work here is over, kill him. He will be of no use."     The man seemed slightly surprised. "Shikashi, what about the Soshiki?"     "There is no need to worry about them or their ruler. I could destroy him single-handedly, especially with you two at my side." She snickered. "The two angels of my apocalypse. I trust neither of you will let me down."     The woman bowed in a similar fashion as those had before her. "As you wish, Master-sama. We will take care of Vermilion..."     "...And then the Toshin warriors if the clones fail," finished her shadowy partner. Master raised an eyebrow.     "Very well. You two did respectable jobs for me last year, so I'm sure I can trust you. If not..." She fixed a hard stare on both of them. "You know I will find out."     "Hai, Master-sama." The two nodded, before teleporting away into thin air. Master sat back down, but instead of in her chair, she eerily hovered a slight bit above its seat. She started absent-mindedly tossing a ball of ki between both hands, looking like a mere child's game, but quickly extinguished its spark with an unspoken violent malevolence.     "Just you wait, Abel. I'll win over you yet."

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    "REKKUZAN!!"     The large fireball, pulsing with fiery-type ki, slammed into its oak-tree target nearby, reducing it to a charred black skeleton of its former self. In front of the smouldering tree stood a young man, exhaling sharply from the exertion of his ki. A few strands of his spiky auburn hair fell out from under a white headband and across his deep red eyes. In one hand he clutched a long katana sword, better known as the Byakko no Tachi, an inherited keepsake, passed down through the family lines of father-to-son throughout the ages. Eiji Shinjo, Japan's star master swordsman and adventurer, stared at the result of his work and smiled, pleased with himself.     "I'm getting better," he murmured out loud. "I'd like to see Kayin-chan try that."     He moved in closer to an opposite tree to get a better shot at it. With that, he shouted out, "Hishouzan!" and jumped upward through the tree in a blender-like uppercut, his blade slicing off leaves and limbs as he went. Finally, he landed, whirled around, crying, "Mukurowari!" and split the tree right down the middle. The two halves landed with small crashes on opposite sides.     Removing his headband and wiping his forehead with the back of hand, Eiji exhaled and raised a hand to shield his eyes as he glanced at the sun's position. _It's getting pretty late...I should head in before it gets dark._     Just as he was re-sheathing his sword and packing up his training equipment, Eiji heard several young childrens's voices ringing out behind him. "Eiji-niisan!!"     Eiji smiled brightly, remembering what that special word had meant to him. Even though he had no relation to any of the younger children of the village, they all saw him as their "big brother", or "niisan". He turned around to see four kids approach him happily. "Oi, kodomo! What can your niisan do for you?"     "Eiji-niisan, whatcha doing?" one of the oldest, a boy named Gyoshuku, asked him.     "Just training for a while. You have to practice if you want to stay good, you know."     "We wanna be just like you, Eiji-niisan!" Yukio, a younger girl, said, beaming. "The best swordfighters in all of Japan!"     The four kids broke up into mock-swordfights, yelling out in their excitement. Eiji laughed. "Keep up your training kids, and you'll be able to whip your niisan in no time!"     None of them mentioned Eiji's real elder brother. They had never met him, and the legends of the almighty Sho Shinjo, the true inheritant and representative of the Shinjo clan, had slowly died away after his disappearance from his and Eiji's home village of Aizu-Wakamatsu, and the rest of the world, four years ago. Disregarding these thoughts, Eiji picked up his bags and waved to the kids. "Well, I'm off. See you all later!"     "Baibai, Eiji-niisan!!" they all called after him as he left the woods behind his small residence. As he approached his house and turned the doorknob, he noticed it wasn't locked, the way he'd left it.     _Chikusho...burglars or rival fighters, no doubt. It's been so quiet lately, I knew it wasn't going to last._ Carefully unsheathing his sword again, Eiji swung open the door and warily scanned each of the rooms for any intruding figures. Instead, he found only a small white envelope sitting on the kitchen table.     _I don't remember that being there when I left. Then someone must have been here, but who...?_ Curious, Eiji picked up the letter and examined it. On the front was his name and address, but no returning address. On the back there was just a small gold sticker that was used to seal the envelope shut. Peeling off the sticker, Eiji opened the envelope and pulled out a matching white card...and froze when he saw the combination of three Japanese kanji characters that had been printed on the front of the card in black ink.     The kanji read as Toh, Shin, and Den.     In a flash, Eiji's mind was immediately taken back to a year before, where he had accepted an invitation to a martial arts/weaponry tournament known as the Toshindaibukai, the Grand Martial Arts Tournament of the Fighting God. Back then he had been completely occupied in finding Sho, his lost older brother. Sho had trained Eiji and Eiji's childhood best friend Kayin Amoh since they were teenage boys. But then, on that fateful one day a few years ago, Sho mysteriously disappeared, leaving no indication where or why he had gone. All Eiji found was the Byakko no Tachi and a note, saying that Eiji was to keep the sword and that he was on his own now. After years of luckless seaching, Eiji finally narrowed it down to the possibility that Sho was at the Toshindaibukai. After receiving an invitation to fight as a representative of the Shinjo clan, who were descended from the Byakkotai samurai, Eiji entered the tournament and met up with Kayin, who was looking for the murderer of his father, believed to be one of the champion fighters in the tournament.     After a long week of fighting, friendships, suspicions and fear, the two swordsmen finally found and confronted their sensei Sho. They learned that not only was it Sho that killed Kayin's father, but that he was determined to kill both of them as well, by some mysterious order. In the end he spared them, and then vanished again, telling them only strange riddles and leaving them both very confused and unsatisfied by their encounter.     It was right after that that they had to fight the leader of of an underground crime organization, Uranus, the dark angel of death. After a fierce battle, Eiji, Kayin and three other fighters whom they had befriended during the tournament managed to destroy Uranus, and that, they thought, would mark the end of the Toshindaibukai tournaments.     _So apparently we thought wrong,_ Eiji thought to himself as he stared at the kanji. _Uranus is dead, so who's organizing the tournaments now? What parts are we to play this year, and will we all return only to be marked for death yet again?_ Eiji was then struck with a sudden, and more important, thought. _Niisan...will I be able to find him again, at this year's tournament? Maybe I can't bring him back, but I don't want to live under his shadow anymore. I'll find him and win this time, proving my worth as the one bearing our clan's sword!_     Discovering the card was double-sided, Eiji flipped it open and read the contents, printed in Japanese characters.

_     Shinjo Eiji-san,

    We of the Himitsu Kessha request your attendance at this year's Toshindaibukai. Judging by last year's performance, we are expecting quite a display from you and your friends. The tournament will commence in one week's time. You must have signed in before three days of its opening. We expect to see you there.

    Signed, the High Council of the Himitsu Kessha

    Just what the hell is going on?

_     His mind made up to settle this, Eiji went into his bedroom, found a suitcase and hastily started packing clothes into it. _Everyone else should be there as well...and I have to go. If not to stop the Himitsu Kessha, if it's just a normal tournament this year, then I'll go to best my niisan in battle...and try my hardest to get him to come home again. Also, to figure out just what he's up to, and what really happened last year._ As Eiji finished packing his bags, he closed them shut and sat on his bed for a moment, thinking.     _Kayin-chan...did he get invited again too? I wonder what he's up to now..._

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    "Holy SHIT!!!"     A line of gunshot was fired, ripping through a row of cardboard boxes stacked in tall columns on the warehouse's shelves. Another line was fired, causing the handsome broadsword-bearing man to duck and roll out of the way yet again, in order to avoid being pumped full of lead. Leaping through the air and dodging bullets at almost inhuman speed, the man approached his suspects, two large, muscle-bound goons, swiftly kicking the machine guns out of their hands. Swinging and bringing his leg downwards in a yellow-sparking arc, he yelled the familiar attack name out. "Shoulder Crush!!"     One of the men managed to dodge out of the way, however, the other took the powerful attack head-on and howled out in pain, stumbling backwards before smashing into a shelf, causing a group of heavy boxes to fall on his head, putting him out immediately. The sword-wielder snickered.     "Pity, I was looking forwards to taking care of that one myself." Having said this in a naturally broad Scottish accent, with the other man unarmed and helpless, he began to slowly walk towards him, broadsword held out and ready.     "You damned kid!" yelled the man. "What're you after us for?"     His attacker shrugged. "I need info. `Course, the money on your head didn't look too bad to me either, but I need my answers first."     Eyes narrowed, the thug continued. "I've heard of you, the bounty hunter they call Storm. You're Kayin Amoh, ain'tcha?"     "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Kayin took a sarcastic half-bow before placing the tip of his blade at his victim's throat. "I need information, asshole. Who's heading the Himitsu Kessha now and where is my daughter??"     "You...YOU have a daughter?" The thug snickered. "That's real funny, y'know...ouch!" Kayin had pressed the sword-tip a slight bit deeper into his neck. Kayin smiled politely. "Oh yes, that's REAL funny. You know what I'd find funny? Putting my sword right through your neck right now, that's what I'd find funny. Ach, of course YOU wouldn't find it funny, but I sure would." Replacing the mocking smile on his face with a serious, and slightly angered look, he pushed his sword a little deeper into the criminal's neck. "Now talk."     "All right, all right! Word on the street's that some big-shot named 'the Master' is heading up this whole next tourney thing. That's probably who's got yer kid."     Kayin grinned, pleased. "Thank you. That's all I needed to know." With one swift movement, he kicked upwards, catching the man's jaw, then downwards again, smashing him into the concrete for a solid knockout. Kayin stared down at this scene, cold aqua eyes hard and unforgiving. Reaching into his red shoulder-padded coat pocket, Kayin pulled out a small white card, imprinted with the black kanji that read, in almost a chilling tone, "Toh Shin Den".     _Damn,_ thought Kayin in frustration. _Naru...this was all my fault, I should have known, I..._ He crumpled the invitation in his hand in anger, remembering what had happened earlier. He had been out on late call about a week ago to find a certain very slippery crook who had quite a large price over his head. Kayin had left his adopted daughter, Naru, with a babysitter and headed out. He knew something was up the minute he found that the tip-off was a ruse, and returned to find the babysitter brutally murdered and Naru gone.     All that was left was the invitation, with one of Naru's pink hair ribbons tacked to it.     Kayin easily made up his mind right then and there. _I'm gonna go to this year's tourney, to find Naru or die trying. If anything's happened to her, I swear to God, I'll..._ Sighing, Kayin headed back to his car and pulled out the cell phone he kept there, dialing a few numbers and waiting for an answer.     "Guys? Yeah, it's me, Kayin. Yeah, I got the crooks...don't I always? Whaddiya _mean_ I have too much ego? Yeah, you shut up too...Got what I needed to find out as well. I'll be taking a leave for a while, so don't expect to see me around or worry `bout me either. Where'm I going? Well, I guess you could say..." Kayin smirked, recalling the event's of last year's "harmless" tournament.     "I'm going after my destiny. See ya."     Abruptly hanging up, cutting off any objections from his superiors at the bounty hunting organization he worked for, Kayin got behind the wheel of his car and prepared for the long trip he had ahead.

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** Next Chapter: Reunion  
Main Page of Toh Shin Den II: Thicker Than Water  
**

  


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Chapter One: Invitation

Original Title(s):  
An Invitation (Rewritten Version)  
How It Began Again (Original Version)

Revised by Athena Asamiya, 1999.

Original Copy by Kasumi Todoh, 1997 / 1996 (Original Version).

Toh Shin Den II: Thicker Than Water © Property 1996-97-98-99 of Caitlin ("Athena Asamiya") and Megan ("Kasumi Todoh").

If you wish to use this fanfiction for any purpose, please obtain permission prior to doing so. Arigato, Athena Asamiya.

empresskatzy@hotmail.com

**DISCLAIMER: All character names, plot, story, and original moves copyright of Takara Co., Ltd., Tamsoft Co., and Playmates Interactive Entertainment. Used without permission; no rights reserved.**

  
Toshinden Always and Forever!!


	3. Chapter Two: Reunion

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER TWO: Reunion**   
  
**Translations:**     _oi_ - hey     _kono yaro_ - that bastard     _genki desu ii yo_ - cheer up   
  
  


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    "Good afternoon, passengers. We are now approaching our destination of Tokyo, Japan, so please put on your seatbelts and prepare for descent. Thank you for flying Hungarian Airlines."     Ellis attached her seatbelt with a snap and sighed, looking out the airplane window downwards at the green ocean-lined continent. _Japan...how long's it been? A year? Maybe more by now? I just tried to forget._ She settled back into her seat, tucking some strands of her emerald-green hair behind her ears. _So it looks like we're all coming together again. But for what reason this year?_ She smiled bashfully and blushed slightly. _I wonder if Eiji-kun will be there again...I hope so, I've missed him--_ She cut off her thought there in annoyance. _No, what am I thinking? There isn't time for that. There's more important things to worry about._ Reaching forward and pulling out a small suitcase, Ellis opened it and could only stare for a moment at the white invitation packed on top of her clothes, the black "Toh Shin Den" kanji standing out on the sheet of white. Removing it, Ellis re-read the note again.

_     Ellis-san,

    We of the Himitsu Kessha request your attendance at this year's Toshindaibukai. We will give you a warning now: Your father, Gaia, is being tracked by us under the charge of high treason. We will kill him the moment we find him. If you wish to save him, you will attend this year's tournament. It will commence in one week's time. You must have signed in before three days of its opening. We expect to see you there.

    Signed, the High Council of the Himitsu Kessha

_     Ellis closed her eyes and shook her head, fingers lightly brushing the silver heart-shaped locket that always hung around her neck. _How cold. What a warning to give. But God, Father, why? They're all monsters...did you try to escape from them? What were your true reasons for leaving them?_ She looked out the window again, as the plane circled and began to descend towards the Tokyo International Airport below. Ellis rested her head against the back of the seat, sighing.     _We have to be ready for anything this time. Or else there won't be a next time..._

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    A few days later in the week saw Eiji Shinjo standing at the doors of Tokyo International Airport. He figured that if any of his friends who had fought with him in last year's tournament had also received invitations, which he believed they had judging by what it had said on the invitation, than the airport was the most likely place to meet up with them. But, as Eiji entered the huge building, he quickly realized that he had no idea who he expected to see or even if he'd see anyone at all. Hopefully, it would be a friend, not a rival, since he had quite a few. However, as he was walking by one of the conveyor belts used for luggage, he did see someone he knew.     Someone he'd recognize anywhere.     And surprisingly, it was the last person Eiji had expected to find there.     Standing by the conveyor belt, waiting for his luggage to come by, was a young man only a bit taller than Eiji, with blond hair tied in a ponytail and tucked in the back of the black and red jacket with black armoured shoulder pads he was wearing. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his dark pants, and his eyes were shaded by a pair of sunglasses. He didn't look Eiji's way at all, almost as if he was focusing on something else entirely. In any event, he didn't notice Eiji at first, so Eiji saw this as the perfect opportunity to get back at Kayin for all the times he made a fool out of him. Sneaking up quietly, attempting to stay out of Kayin's range of vision, Eiji lept and grabbed Kayin in a headlock. "Oi, Kayin-channnnnn!!"     "What the hell? Who the blazes--??" Kayin responded quickly by tossing Eiji over his shoulder and to the ground with a thud. Removing his shades quickly and revealing the familiar icy and almost translucent aqua eyes, Kayin glared down at him and started to say, "All right, mate, just what the hell is--goddammit, Eiji!?"     "Thanks a lot, Kayin-chan. That the kind of reception you give to all of your friends?" Eiji replied jokingly while picking himself up off the terminal floor. He burst out laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face! You were--"     Kayin shook his head, cutting Eiji off. "For cryin' out loud! So is that how you greet people in Tokyo? By startling the bleedin' hell out of them and putting them in a choke hold?"     Eiji's face showed minor insult. "I figured I should surprise you, since we haven't seen each other since the end of last year's tourney. And I thought you'd be glad to see me. You're looking well, if not a bit jumpy."     Kayin Amoh looked rather embarrassed. "Sorry. I've had other things on my mind. You're looking pretty good yourself. Though you're still such a kid, playing those stupid pranks to get even with me for what I did to you."     "Kid? Give me a break. You're only my senior by a year. And no, you were a complete ass to me when we were training, so the sooner I get back at you, the better."     Grinning, the two best friends hugged, happy to see each other again, since it had been a year now. "So what are you doing here, anyway, Kayin-chan? You specifically said you were retiring from the tournament circuit after the last--"     Kayin turned away harshly. "So I changed my mind, okay? I missed the thrill of fighting and competing and all that crap. Just drop it, Eiji."     But Eiji had seen the look that had just crossed Kayin's face before, many times. Shaking his head, he knew his friend wasn't being completely honest with him.     "Something happened again, didn't it? That's why you're here..."     "Eiji, I really don't want to talk about it--"     "Come on, Kayin-chan," Eiji persisted. "I'm your best friend. You can tell me."     Kayin didn't look at him. Finally, after a few minutes, he sighed and said two words.     "It's Naru."     "What? Naru-chan? What about her?"     "Eiji, she's been kidnapped. She disappeared a few days ago, and I haven't seen her since. I found this in the house where I had left her before she was taken."     He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Eiji. To him it looked like the same invitation he had gotten, small and white except for the familiar three kanji. Then he opened it, and it was the same invitation he had gotten, only there was another typed note attached. A small pink hair ribbon had been taped to the inside.

_     Kayin Amoh-san,

    If you expect to see your daughter again, then we expect to see you at the tournament.

    The Himitsu Kessha

_     "I caught the first plane to Japan," Kayin promptly finished. "Appears that I can't take a leave of absence...they were going to do anything to get me back at the tourney this year."     "Kono yaro," Eiji swore, nearly crumpling the invitation in his fist before handing it back to Kayin. "Don't worry. We'll get her back. They've gone too far this time."     Kayin heaved a sigh and still looked unsure so Eiji pasted a grin on his face and said, "Hey, genki desu ii yo. It'll all work out. We did it last year, so this time we'll take them out for real." Grinning, Eiji added, "I see the year off hasn't made you too shabby though. You have been training for this, I hope?"     Kayin smiled. "I could still take you on anytime, Eiji."     "Oh, give me a break. I could kick your ass in five seconds flat!"     "Wanna put it to a test?"     "Okay, let's take this out to the parking lot."     "You're on, punk."     The two of them stared at each other for a moment before breaking out into laughter. Familiar laughter, similar to all the times they had shared as teenager boys, growing up and training together--after they'd gotten over each other's differences, that is. Then Eiji asked, "Have you seen the girls around?"     "Nope," was Kayin's answer. "We probably missed them and they're already at the tournament grounds." He raised one eyebrow cockily. "Why? Miss your girlfriend, do you?"     Eiji blushed fiercely. "Shut up." Quickly changing the subject, he questioned, "Well, shall we go then? All participants have to register before the end of the day, anyway."     Kayin's luggage, a large suitcase and a guitar case, came by on the rack's conveyor belt just then. He picked them up and they started walking towards the door. Eiji smiled to himself, this place bringing back memories of last year, especially since it was in this airport that he unofficially met Ellis, his so-called girlfriend. He remembered how they met--by literally running into each other. He also thought about how rocky their friendship had been at the start. Actually, they had hated each other. It wasn't until almost two days after the tournament had began that they really became friends.     _Enough remembering for now,_ Eiji thought to himself. _Time to focus on the upcoming tournament. I hope everyone else is coming this year, Ellis-chan, Sofi-san, Tracy-san._ A frown crossed his face. _But what about...Cupido and my niisan? Will they be there again too?_ Suddenly becoming aware of how upset he looked, Eiji shook it off with a laugh, regarding the case in Kayin's hand. "Kayin-chan, I didn't know you played guitar."     "I do sometimes," Kayin replied back. "But not right now. I keep Excalibur in there. It's easier getting through customs this way, plus I get a lot fewer questions and strange looks."     "You keep your sword in a guitar case? Did you know that's probably illegal?"     "Hey, pipe down," Kayin answered with another laugh. "Do you want the whole airport to hear? And don't say that around Tracy, she'd probably bust me for sure." Seemingly remembering something important, Kayin called out, "Hey Eiji, wait up for a sec." Eiji obliged, and waited as Kayin fiddled around in one of his bags for a minute before pulling out a small envelope, grinning mockingly. "I've got photos!"     "Oh, God," Eiji laughed, burying his face in his hands as Kayin caught up with him, handing over the package. "Are these the ones from when we skipped out on training that one day and--"     "--Went to Akihibara, right, right," Kayin continued, grinning. "And I bought that stupid camera and took like, a hundred pictures with it."     "Twenty. You took twenty, Kayin-chan."     "Oh, well, whatever. Betcha thought I didn't get them developed, did you?"     Eiji shook his head, examining the envelope. "I was hoping you wouldn't."     "Well, I did, and I forgot to bring them last year," Kayin finished proudly. "Take a look at how they turned out. Pretty nice photography job, but then again, _I_ took most of them, so why wouldn't they be?"     Groaning, Eiji said, "Do I have to? As I recall, there were some pretty bad candids of me on that roll."     "Just look at them, damn you."     Eiji opened the picture package and pulled out a small stack of photographs. Thumbing through them, he observed most of them featured either him or Kayin, looking a lot younger (probably about 14-15 or so) and a lot more immature. Laughing, Eiji stuck one in Kayin's face.     "Hey Kayin-chan, here's that one I took!" It was a photograph of Kayin seemingly dead asleep on a kitchen table, a cup of coffee in his hand, though its caffeine didn't look like it had done him any good. "Morning practices really got to you, ne?"     Kayin shrugged. "I'm not a morning person. But get a load of this one of you!" He snatched the pack for a second and triumphantly pulled out one of Eiji, looking like he'd just got out of bed. Only wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, his normally-spiky was an absolute mess, and he was holding one hand up as if to stop Kayin from taking the picture. Kayin snickered. "I had fun taking that one. You looked like you had a porcupine stuck on your head."     "Shut up," laughed Eiji, taking back the stack. After flipping through the whole stack, at the very last there was an extremely cute photograph of the two of them, looking a slight bit older than the ones at the beginning of the roll. Kayin was on the right, leaning on Eiji, making a victory sign, winking and grinning; Eiji was on the left, making a thumbs-up with one hand and holding his sword with another. "This one's nice," Eiji commented. "Who took it?"     Kayin took the pictures back and put them in the envelope. "You don't remember that? It was our last day of training. Your brother took it for us."     Subdued, Eiji bit his lower lip and said in a much-quieter tone, "Oh. Yeah, right."     After Kayin had put the photos back in his bag and the friends had walked in silence for a while. When it came time to find a taxi that would take them to where the tournament was being held proved to be pretty easy, and about ten minutes later the two found themselves standing in front the familiar double-doors, the gateway to the great tournament of the Toshindaibukai.     Inhaling and trying his best to look happier than he really was, Eiji started, "I'm really curious to find out who's running the tournament this year," Eiji said thoughtfully. "We know Uranus ran the last one, but she's dead, so who's in charge now?"     "Someone called 'the Master'."     Eiji whirled on his heel in surprise. "You _know?_"     Kayin shrugged. "This one criminal I pulled in for info tipped me off. Not that I know anything else about the Master, other than his name." Clenching a fist, Kayin added in fierce declarement, "He's gonna pay for kidnapping Naru."     Exhaling sharply, Eiji looked upwards at the stone doors. "We can't afford to underestimate them. Who knows what they have in store for us this time...?"

***************

    In a laboratory deep in the basement of the Himitsu Kessha headquarters, Vermilion was working diligently on a clone of Eiji, which was nearing completion. This Eiji was an almost exact copy of the original, except that he had a black and red outfit. Just as Vermilion was finishing the initial programming, Master teleported in, looking only slightly curious, but more like she didn't care in the least what was going on. "How comes the second clone, Vermilion? You had better be finished."     Vermilion only nodded, smirking. "The DNA duplication process works faster than I thought. Dark Eiji should be ready by tomorrow, just in time for the start of the tournament."     Master examined the clone, who was hooked up to many wires and machines. Vermilion walked up to it, proud to show off his work. "Completely identical to the original. Right down to his fighting moves." He shrugged. "Uranus was wrong. Who needs the real fighters when we have our own versions?"     "And it appears Dark Ellis also has the same moves as her original," Master added, showing a rarity for her: emotion. She was smiling coldly, anticipating her victory--and it would be hers alone. "This time we'll give them a taste of their own medicine."     "And to be extra sure, we'll double their strength levels," Vermilion replied while pressing a few buttons in order on one of the larger machines. An evil grin creased his red-marked face. "Now our revenge is guaranteed. They won't know what hit them." 

**********


	4. Chapter Three: Return

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER THREE: Return**   
  
**Translations:**     _nan demo nai_ - nothing     _oi, Kayin-chan, matte yo!_ - Hey, Kayin, wait up!     _honto_ - really   
  
  


***************

  
    Running was not of his nature. Yet he had been running for quite a while.     Running from _them_, of course. Anyone else in the same situation would have given up, surrendered to their will, a long time ago. But not him. He kept eluding, escaping, and even the two angels could not find him yet. Though undoubtly, someday they would. And then it would be all over.     He shook his head. He shouldn't have started the Toshindaibukais again last year. It had been a risk. Though it had not been without its rewards. Uranus was now destroyed...but that still left Master to deal with. And of course, the group of allied fighters from last year would return, and perhaps even end up challenging the Himitsu Kessha again. Only this time, they may not win...     Looking at the Toshindaibukai invitation in his hand, signed by the Master herself, he sighed deeply while picking up his enormous, polished sword. Then it would be his job to help them win.     _Kaede..._     He moved on.     One choice was clear.     He was not running anymore.

***************

    "What the hell--?" was Kayin's immediate reaction upon seeing the tall, gold-coloured skyscraper-type building that now loomed over most of the tournament grounds. The mid-afternoon sun glinted off it brightly, though the building looked more ominous than cheerful.     Eiji shaded his eyes against the sun to look up at it. "That definately wasn't here last year. I wonder...could it be--"     "The Himitsu Kessha!" Eiji and Kayin both concluded in unison. Kayin shook his head in disbelief. "Why did they move their headquarters here?"     "Probably to watch over the tournaments closer. And anyway, maybe the new leader, that 'Master' guy, decided to move." Eiji shrugged. "It still looks creepy to me. Hey, wait..." Eiji took another, closer look at the skyscraper. "I can make out some kanji...Hi-mitsu...Kes-sha...Shitennou?"     "What's a Shitennou?" Kayin questioned.     Eiji looked thoughful for a moment. "It's an old Japanese myth. The Shitennou were the Four Heavenly Kings who guarded the four corners of the Earth--I believe, if I can remember right, their names were...anou...Jikoku for the east, Komoku for the south, Zocho for the west, and Tamon for the north. But I don't get it...why would the Himitsu have the names of gods on their building?     "Some kind of religious meaning?" suggested Kayin. Eiji shook his head. "No, I doubt there's any religions who primarily worship the Shitennou...I find it all odd. It gives me a bad feeling."     "Got that right." Kayin and Eiji entered through the stone doors to the tournament grounds, flashing their invitations to the guard posted at the doorway. Pausing to stand again inside the grounds as the doors slammed shut behind them almost ominously, the site seemed so familiar to Eiji, almost welcoming in a strange sort of way. Here was where he had met Ellis, and been attacked by the henchmen of the Himitsu Kessha, first figuring out that there was something going on behind the scenes. Here was where he fought in the great tournament, the Toshindaibukai, and gained victory. He had found his niisan...only to be left with even more questions than before. Eiji shook his head, sighing sadly. Kayin looked over at his friend curiously. "What's up, Eiji?"     Eiji picked his bag up off the ground and flung it over his shoulder again, brushing away the thoughts. "Nan demo nai."     Kayin took a breath, then exhaled sharply. "You haven't gotten over it, have you?"     "No."     "Dammit, that was a year ago, Eiji. Get over it. It's done and gone. You can't force yourself to keep remembering it. Your brother's not here anymore."     Eiji hung his head. "No...I suppose he isn't." _But why..._ he silently mused, _why can I still feel his spirit? It presides here, I know he's here somewhere...watching..._ Eiji looked up in time to see Kayin heading towards the dormitories. "Oi, Kayin-chan, matte yo!"     "If you'd get your spiky-haired head out of the past for a minute, maybe you would have seen that I was leaving," was the careless-sounding answer. Eiji sighed, then ran to catch up with his friend.     Examining the premises, the two found the tournament grounds to be almost deserted, with only a few people walking around, who were probably maintenance workers.     "Looks like we're one of the first ones here again," Eiji remarked.     "No kidding."     The pair continued on to where the cabins were. Eiji and Kayin each chose one, right near each other, and an intensive search of both turned up no suspicious objects, cameras or the like. It appeared that they had all been removed since last year. By the time they had unpacked and settled in as much as they could, it was gaining on five o'clock. With nothing else to do, Eiji & Kayin sat down outside their cabins to wait for their friends to show, as it was obvious they would. The two didn't have to wait long. Sofia and Tracy arrived together, engrossed in a heavy conversation with each other already. Tracy was dressed comfortably in a pair of denim jeans and a navy-blue camisole top that showed off her excellent tan, high-top sneakers and her POLICE ball cap turned backwards on her blue hair. Sofia was wearing her typical black leather costume, but with her leather gold-buckled jacket overtop, so as not to look indecent in public. Kayin grinned at Eiji and bellowed out, "HEYYYYY!!! What two lovely ladies do we have here!!" This immediately got the two girls' attentions, as they turned to see Eiji grinning weakly and Kayin winking at them jokingly. Tracy hollered back, "No more, Kayin, or I'll put ya under `rrest for harassment!" The group of friends exchanged hugs, handshakes and greetings, and then started to fill each other on what was going on in their lives and their reasons for returning.     "Tracy and I ran each other at the airport," Sofia explained. "Our planes landed within fifteen minutes of each other."     "We also saw Rungo, Duke and some of the other fighters on our way over here," Tracy piped up. "Looks ta me like all the fighters that took part in last year's tourney are back and rarin' to kick ass." She grinned a held up a fist. "Like me!"     Eiji laughed. "You're always out for a good fight, Tracy-san."     "Damn straight, Shinjo, damn straight. And quit with the fancy-ass Japanese stuff. Just Tracy, Trae or nothin'."     "So, why are you two here?" Sofia asked.     "You mean you don't believe we're here just for the thrill of fighting in a tournament?" Kayin questioned innocently.     "Oh, please," she replied, waving a hand in the air. "I do like to think I know you better than that. We all have a reason for being here, am I right? Regardless of that less-than-flattering invitation. And I am just curious to see why everyone else has decided to return."     "As I was tellin' Sofi, I'm here cuz I needed some more evidence about the Himitsu Kessha before I can start an investigation," Tracy started off.     "And I came to this tournament," Sofia said next, "for almost the same reason. I have rejoined the KGB, and they wish for me to attempt infiltration of the Himitsu Kessha for more information on how to, how you say, take them down." Smirking, she slyly asked, "So then, why _did_ you come, Kayin? You distinctly said you were not going to fight anymore."     Kayin looked at Eiji helplessly, who nodded solemnly, before quietly replying. "I came to find Naru."     "Who's that?" Tracy questioned curiously.     "She's my daughter."     "YOU have a daughter?"     "Um, yeah. And she..."     "Who's the mother?"     "Tracy, is that really relevant? Actually, I adopted her, so..."     "How come you never told us you had a daughter?"     "Would you please quit interrupting?"     "Sorry."     "Anyway," Kayin managed to continue, "after the last tournament I decided never to take part in another Toshindaibukai. But apparently the Himitsu Kessha really wanted me to fight in this year's tournament. So they took Naru, as insurance that I would."     Sofia gasped, and Tracy gripped her tonfas even tighter.     "We believe the Himitsu Kessha is holding Naru hostage somewhere," Eiji added. "Probably on or near the tournament grounds. Now we have to find out exactly where."     "I'll help you look for it," suggested Tracy. "I've have plenty of experience in this sorta thing."     "As do I," Sofia agreed.     Kayin sighed, but smiled weakly. "Thanks, guys. I'm worried to death over her."     Deciding it would be best to change the subject again, Sofia pointed out, "Eiji, we haven't heard your reason yet."     "Oh, uh..." Eiji hadn't expected to be called on. "Well...I, um...I'm here...to try and find my brother."     "Well, this day's just full of surprises," grumbled Tracy. "Since when do you have a brother?"     Eiji looked puzzled, then laughed, embarassed. "Oh, yeah...I didn't tell you two last year, did I?"     "No, you didn't."     "My brother, Sho, taught Kayin-chan and I swordsplay. That's why we have almost the same techniques."     Kayin nodded. "Exactly. And Eiji's been going loony looking for him, trying to get him to come back."     "I WAS looking for him," Eiji corrected in annoyance. "He was here last year." The girls looked confused. "Oh, um...well...remember that night at the end of the tourney when Kayin-chan and I were all beat up? Before we fought Uranus? Well..." Eiji paused here for a second, and then continued. "We fought my brother."     "What??" Tracy exclaimed, peeved. "You told us you did that to each other, not that your bro kicked your asses!"     Kayin flinched here, responding, "Yeah, but he was a better fighter than both of us put together. Always has been. Eiji didn't see the meaning in telling you."     Sofia looked away thoughtfully, nodding. "I see what you mean." She looked over at Eiji. "But why would you want to find him again this time, if he made it clear that he does not want to go back?"     Eiji heaved a sigh. "It's kinda hard to explain. I know it may sound strange, but I still think there's a chance I can convince him to come back home. I have to give it another try, at least."     "You're either really stubborn or really nuts, after what happened to ya last year," was Tracy's flattering comment. "And in some really crazy way, I think I understand." She motioned behind her, at the gold building. "One thing I don't get already. Check out that wacked-out skyscraper. What the hell's up with that?"     Eiji shook his head and started seriously, "It's the Himitsu's new headquarters."     Sofia and Tracy exchanged looks. "We suspected as much," Sofia commented. "It would make sense."     "No more cameras, but they can still be watching us," Kayin added in. "Jesus. Is there no hope for a just normal tournament?"     Just then, an announcement came on from inside Eiji's cabin.     "Welcome back, to all returning participants of the last tournament, to this year's Toshindaibukai. We have invited all fighters from last year's tournament, and all have checked in, so this year looks to be as exciting as the last! This year the tournament is under new management, so you might find a few things slightly different. However, the rules for the scheduled matches remain the same. You must defeat your opponent, either by a knock out or a ring out, in two bouts, each lasting 99 seconds. Participants not fighting are welcome to come watch, but can not interfere in the match in progress. The tournament shall begin tomorrow morning. The matchups are posted by the main gate. Thank you for your time, and good luck to all!" The loudspeaker clicked off.     "I will go check the schedule," Sofia volunteered, heading off towards the gateway again. Eiji shook his head. "'New management'...the Master."     "Who?"     Kayin jumped in here. "The guy who runs the Himitsu Kessha now. We don't know anything about him other than his name."     "Never heard anything on `im myself," Tracy muttered. "Must be a real low-lying type."     Sofia came back just then, the gate having not been far from the dorm area where they were, and said simply, "I am to fight tomorrow, against one called Chaos. I believe you fought him last year, did you not, Tracy?"     "Yep, sure did! He's a pushover too, Sofi, you'll get some fun out of it."     Sofia smiled wryly. "That makes me feel much better. So what was that I heard about a new leader?"     "Master," Kayin said. "The supposed new head of the Himitsu. Think you can find anything on him?"     "Hmmm...I will try to see what I can dig up about him in the files I brought," she murmured. "But what shall we do in the meantime? Act like nothing is going on?"     "I think that's best course of action at the moment," Eiji replied. "Just until we find out what their plan is. Why else would they call us back instead of getting new competition? Trust me, I can tell they've got a plan."     "How'd I know you were going to say something like that?" Kayin groaned.     "Sounds like fun to me." Tracy straightened her police cap. "Anyway boys, we've gotta go get unpacked."     "Oh, sure," Eiji jumped in apologetically. "Sorry to keep you."     "It is all right," Sofia said. "We will be seeing you around then?"     Kayin winked again and made a thumbs-up. "You'd be so lucky."     Tracy snorted, and Sofia shook her head as the two girls headed off to find their cabins. Eiji glanced around a few more times after they had left, and pronounced while trying to hide his disappointment, "Ellis-chan isn't here."     Kayin flicked a few strands of strawberry-blond hair out of his face. "Bullshit. She's here; she just wasn't with them. They said on the announcement all checked in."     Eiji's eyes lit up. "Good idea." He quickly went inside his cabin, and hit a small red button on the intercom. Within seconds, a static voice replied, "Yes, sir?"     "Um, yeah, can I have the cabin number for Ellis-cha--uh, I mean Miss Ellis?"     "Just one moment, please...cabin number 21."     "Thanks." Eiji depressed the button and grinned goofily. Kayin peered over at him. "You look like an ass."     "Shut up. I'm going to go see Ellis-chan."

**************

    Ellis was unpacking her bags quietly in her cabin, after hearing the announcement made. She slowly removed the small invitation, placing it on her bedspread, along with her pair of Dirks; silvery double-edged daggers, one for each hand, that worked perfectly with Ellis's swift, multi-hitting fighting style. Ellis looked at her reflection in a nearby mirror; she stared back at herself, not-so-replendent in her usual outfit of a white camisole and denim cutoffs. She fingered the small, silver heart locket sadly.     _New management...what does that mean? And is my father here? Have they captured him already? Make no mistake, Father, I'll never let them._ A knock at the door shook Ellis out of her thoughts, and after hastily flipping some of her emerald hair out of her face, she went to the door and opened it a crack.     Familiar red-gold eyes stared back at her.     "Hi," said Eiji Shinjo.     Ellis laughed and swung the door open, throwing her arms around Eiji. "Eiji-kun! I didn't think you came!!"     "Neither did I, we didn't see you with Tracy and Sofia," was Eiji's reply. Ellis's eyes shone happily. "'We'? Kayin's here too? We're all here again!"     Not sharing as exuberant a tone as Ellis, Eiji set her down gently. "Unfortunately, it's not as happy as you think, Ellis-chan. The Himitsu Kessha's up to something again."     Ellis turned away, going over to her bed and picking up the note she had received along with her invitation, holding it out to Eiji solemnly. "I believe I already know."     Eiji read the note quickly, looking more and more angry by the time he had finished the note. "First Naru-chan, now this."     "Naru?"     "Kayin-chan's daughter."     "KAYIN has a DAUGHTER??"     "It appears everyone finds it hard to believe."     Ellis giggled. "Well, you know...he doesn't look like a fatherly figure."     Eiji grinned. "Honto. Anyways, he got a note like this, same as you did. But it was because his _adopted_ daughter Naru got kidnapped by them."     She sucked in her breath, looking quite concerned. "Oh no! How old is the poor girl?"     Eiji shrugged, thinking. "Only about six or so."     "God," Ellis murmured. "What monsters, going after a helpless little girl, and my father...to get us to come back. But why, instead of new fighters?"     "That's what we've been wondering. Kayin-chan, the other girls and I were just discussing it over at my cabin. Why go to all the trouble to bring us back? Something's not right."     Ellis picked at the fluff of the bedspread. "That's true. I doubt they're happy with us for ruining their plans last year. Remember all of Uranus's world-dominating schemes? They probably see us as a threat now."     "Bet you're right, Ellis-chan," said Eiji. "If so, then it looks like we're in for even more surprises than last year." He headed for the door. "I'd better get back to check the schedule. Um, see you later?"     "Of course!" Ellis saw Eiji off, waving at him from the front step. After he had left, Ellis paused, smiling bashfully to herself. Gradually, however, the smile wore off her face. She couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched the whole time. At one point, she thought she saw a dark shadow pass through the trees. Quickly, she took a stance and shouted, "Who's there?"     Nothing. At least, nothing that responded. Ellis waited a few minutes, but still heard no reply. Shaking her head, she muttered, "Cool it, Ellis. Your imagination's getting the best of you."     With that, she went into her cabin and closed the door. The reason that she didn't see someone really was following her was probably because of the way the person's brown hair and black outfit helped her blend into the darkness. 

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	5. Chapter Four: Commencement

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER FOUR: Commencement**   
  
**Translations:**     _ne_ - used to ask for agreement to the statement made     _-chan_ - honourific used for close friends, children or pets     _mina-san_ - everyone [polite]     _-sama_ - honourific used for higher people of status, gods etc.     _hai_ - yes     _mo, ari?_ - any more?     _sou ka_ - that's right   
  
  


***************

  
    The alarm clock went off at precisely eight-thirty in the morning. Grumbling, the occupant of the bed next to it moaned out and rolled over, attempting to shut off it's annoying menace. Long blond hair askew, Sofia sat up in bed, still half-asleep. She suddenly shot into realization. _It will be the opening match soon. And I have to be there!_ What English Sofia did know was used in the best way she could muster, but she had to admit she enjoyed the curse words. "Damn it! I am going to be late!"     Scrambling out of bed, Sofia pulled open her black bag of luggage and removed her costume for this year: a small red-and-black leather dress-type outfit that was slit open from the bottom neck to right above her bellybutton, exposing most of her quite-oversized cleavage. She also removed a pair of lacy-type elbow gloves, leather-strapped wrist bands and her trademark pair of stiletto heels. Sofia smiled wryly as she put on her costume; most people often told her that her typical costumes were extremely revealing. She never paid attention to it, believing that the less clothes that were there to hinder movement, the better.     Although she had to admit, she didn't feel completely assured of her victory today. Sofia had to admit that rather, she felt a bit nervous. She had never seen this Chaos fight before, so she didn't quite know what to expect. Although, if he really was a "pushover" like Tracy had said, then she didn't much to be nervous about. Still, Sofia had learned two lessons from the previous tournament: never let her guard down, and never underestimate an opponent, no matter what she'd heard about them. Also, it was the first fight of the tournament, and SHE was to be one of the first combatants. Such was an honour, though in any tournament but this one.     Coiling up her skinny bullwhip and attaching it to her waist, Sofia, in all her pride and glory, simply couldn't resist checking her reflection in the mirror before she left on her way to the main colosseum. Smiling seductively at herself in the mirror, Sofia grabbed her leather jacket and headed out.

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    Kayin grinned proudly at the young blond girl leading a massive group of other hyperactive young ladies, all practically drooling over him and his blond good looks. "Now, who should I make this out to?"     "Alicia Masters!!" the lead girl practically screamed. She turned to her clique and they all couldn't contain their excitement, hopping up and down and shrieking. Kayin smiled. "All right, 'to the beautiful Alicia, love Kayin Amoh.' That sound okay?"     "Oh - my - GOD!!!" she screeched, throwing her arms around Kayin happily and kissing his cheek. "I love you Kayin!"     Kayin grinned. "Same to you. You girls have good taste, you know that? See you at my next fight." He waved and walked back over to Eiji, Ellis and Tracy, leaving the group of girls to scream over his hotness. Eiji shook his head sadly. "Poor kids. Too bad they don't know what you're _really_ like, ne, Kayin-chan?"     Kayin took the empty seat next to Tracy and flipped his hair back conceitedly. "Yeah, well, good looks are half of what counts."     "What's the other half?" Ellis asked curiously.     "Ass-kicking capability."     "Boy," Tracy said, putting a friendly arm around him, "I like your style."     Kayin smirked jokingly. "Thanks, but we can't ALL be me."     "Shut up, Kayin-chan!" Eiji shoved Kayin in the shoulder from two seats over. Ellis laughed, "Same ego problem as last year."     "I do NOT have an ego problem!"     Tracy snorted. "Yeah, right. Reminds me of half da cops on the force." She observed the nearly-packed stands of the main arena which they were seated in. "Lotta people here, huh?"     "Yeah," Ellis agreed, also surveying the crowd. "Just like last year. I think I even see a couple of the fighters from last year too, among all those reporters and fight fans."     "What, no assassins or murderers this year?" Kayin joked, though it was in a slightly dry tone of voice. Eiji leaned forward, resting his chin on his fist. "With the threats they've made to us, it looks like we're in for another fight."     This sombered up the others quite a bit, though it was broken when a black-leather-clad lithe figure strolling onto the arena caught Tracy's eye. She held up a gloved fist. "Yeah! Here comes the Queen of Pain herself, ready to kick ass! God, I wish I wuz fightin' today!"     "You wish you could fight every day, Tracy," Ellis giggled.     "Ain't that the truth! No worries, Sofi will kick this freak's ass to hell and back, damn straight!"     Sofia knew her four friends were also in the arena somewhere, where they'd be watching the fight. This knowledge calmed her slightly, but she still knew that she was on her own, as it was against tournament rules for an outsider to help or interfere during a fight.     As she climbed into the arena, numerous whistles and catcalls from the male side of the spectators sounded out. Sofia revealed a bit of her naturally-dominatrix nature by blowing a kiss towards them, causing the cheers to rise even more. Smiling seductively, she sauntered towards the center line to get her first good look at her opponent.     Chaos was a fair bit taller than her own five foot seven, and was wearing a bright red and yellow costume that looked quite bulky in some places, largely padded in the shoulders. He pivoted on one leg, and held his weapon, a scythe, over his head in a very peculiar fighting stance. He also had a very cold look in his eyes, though it was also slightly blank. When she realized the fight was about to begin, Sofia cracked her whip once and sneered for intimidation, "Well. Do you think you are worthy enough to fight me?"     Chaos, surprisingly, didn't answer. He didn't say anything at all. _How wonderful,_ Sofia thought to herself. She was about to say more, when she suddenly heard the announcer's voice.     "Mina-san, welcome to the annual Grand Martial Arts Tournament of the Fighting God - The Toshindaibukai!"     The crowd roared.     "This is the opening match of the tournament, and please welcome your fighters for this battle: Sofia and Chaos!"     Even more cheers and cries sounded from the excited audience. Even the group coudln't help themselves from cheering on Sofia a bit.     "Without further ado, let the match begin! Bout One!! FIGHT!!"     Chaos got right down to business, charging towards Sofia and attempting to hit with a hard swiping slash to her chest. Sofia quickly jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the hit. She drew her whip back and snapped it forward, sending out of a fiery ring of blue ki while at the same time shouting, "Thunder Ring!". The circular blast of energy hit Chaos and knocked him back a slight way, but it was only a matter of seconds before he recovered and was making another somersaulting dash forward. This time he caught her offguard by spinning through the air like a pinwheel and slicing at her with the whirling blade of his scythe. However, Sofia was back on feet within seconds. Chaos leapt into the air and shot down a green-coloured blast of ki at her. Sofia threw a Thunder Ring upwards, cancelling out the projectile quite nicely, following up with one of her newly-learned moves, a sparkling backflip called the Jewelry Shower, which rapped Chaos in the head with her stiletto heels and knocked him to the floor, where Sofia stomped on him with one of her heels. Chaos rose back up, and as soon as he was upright again (or at least what was upright for him), he sprang forwards quickly and swept her feet out from under her by hooking the huge blade behind her legs and pulling swiftly. Sofia hit the ground, rubbing the large scratches she had newly acquired. _All right,_ she thought to herself, _it is time to get serious._     She launched back to her feet and hit Chaos several times with her Aurora Revolution, spinning around him with several whip slashes, finally knocking him over. No sooner had he gotten up than she launched into a quick combo of a crouching fast kick, followed by a hard crack of her whip, and finishing off with a Rattlesnake, right in Chaos's face. Her whip became a blur as it snapped and lashed out at Chaos several times, before letting up on her assault as he collapsed again, this time unconscious on the floor of the ring. Sofia was declared the winner of Bout One while posing for her fans, which gladly cheered.

***************

    Far above, in a special enclosed box seat with a one-way window, stood a tall, thin figure, and judging by the shape it was definately a woman. She regarded the fight with curious eyes, then turned to watch a small lot of television monitors as they showed close-ups of the different angles of the fight, thanks to a number of small surveillance cameras posted in and around the arena. She smiled with some satisfaction when the camera panned up, and the group of four fighters, Eiji, Kayin, Ellis and Tracy, were visible from the camera's view. She turned away and seemingly nodded to the darkness behind them, but it was for a reason. Another figure stepped out of the shadows, her dark partner.     "So," the other, a man, stated quietly. "They did come?"     The woman nodded again, motioning to the screen that displayed the four fighters. "See for yourself."     An unseen smile was shown to the darkness. "Perfect."     "I couldn't have agreed more." The woman looked over her shoulder, towards another direction in the shadows. "Master-sama."     Appearing out of thin air, the young girl's frame, clothed in the same mauve-and-white jumpsuit, arrived in the box seat. "My two angels. What have you discovered?"     Both man and woman bowed silently to the Master. The woman looked up from her bow. "Observe the surveillance monitor, Master-sama."     Master raised an eyebrow, but approached the screens and examined their views, then looked out onto the arena. "Ah, this is very good. The five from last year have arrived."     "Hai," the man said. "They are here and ready for their deaths."     Master shook her head, smiling coldly. "Not so quickly. We still have to try the clones. Let their precautions be in vain, and let us have a little fun with them first."     "Hai."

***************

    "Bout Two! FIGHT!!"     The second round did not start off well for Chaos. It was clear Sofia had the upper hand. She decided to keep the fight within close range, hitting him with three straight combos in a row. Chaos barely had enough time to get up before he was struck back down again by receiving Sofia's boot in his face. Finally Sofia had him backed up almost to the edge of the ring. Just when victory seemed within her grasp, Chaos spoke for the first time all match, and what he said was surprising:     "It seems you and I are not so different. We can both suffer memory loss and have it not affect our fighting abilities."     Sofia unwittingly let her guard down. "What? You mean you're..."     Chaos suddenly launched into his Overdrive attack, with three rotating triangles and multicoloured blasts of ki flying out, smashing into Sofia. Being at close range and not blocking, she took the full amount of hits. Staggering from the attack, Sofia shook aside the previous remark and thought to herself, _Two can play at that game._     She began to pace towards Chaos, ki sparkling off her body. Chaos didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late. As soon as Sofia got close enough to him, she launched into an hyper-type of Aurora Revolution, extra hard and extra fast. Then, before Chaos had time to recover, she spun into the air, with more ki shimmering down and leaving a sparking trail. "Call Me Queen!"     Sofia came down right on top of the battered Chaos, and he collapsed and lay still.     "The winner, SOFIA!!" shouted the announcer, joined by a chorus of yells as Sofia shook her head, smirking. "Mo, ari?"     A few minutes later, Sofia joined her four friends, who were waiting for her just inside the door to the arena.     "You okay?" Kayin asked. "From where we were watching, you almost looked bored fighting out there."     "You were quite right, Tracy," Sofia laughed. "Chaos was a pushover."     Tracy grinned happily. "Told ya so. We could all tell that you really didn't have a thing to worry about." Ellis smiled at the same time. "Great job, Sofi."     "Well, now that that's over," Eiji said in low voice so as not to be overheard by anyone, "I think we should get down to business and try to find some clues about the Himitsu Kessha and where they might be holding Naru. Meet me in my cabin in ten minutes."     "Right," the others nodded. As they all parted outside among the flow of spectators, Sofia couldn't help but give a quick thought to what that estranged fighter had said. _Memory loss? It happened to him too? But how...I thought I was the only one that experiment was performed on. Apparently I was mistaken._ Sofia rose her crystal-blue eyes to observe the setting sun in the distance, beyond the golden tower.     _What monstrosities are these people capable of...?_

***************

    About an hour and a half later, the group had discovered that deciding to dig up information on the Himitsu was a lot easier than actually doing it.     "Man," Tracy muttered, close to exasperation, "I've worked on tougher cases in my time with less info, but this is damn stupid."     "There appears to be absolutely no information whatsoever on them, other than what we already know," Sofia said, rifling through one of the numerous piles of KGB files and documents she had brought with her, most on the top-secret organizations around the world. Ellis sighed. "And that's not much, is it?"     "Well, Himitsu Kessha is Japanese for 'Secret Organization'", Eiji said. "So I guess if they were to start putting out stuff about themselves they wouldn't be a 'secret' anymore."     "Cute, Eiji," Kayin snorted. "And thanks for the Japanese lesson."     After shooting Kayin an annoyed look, Eiji continued seriously, "They can't stay hidden forever. If they truly want to take revenge on us, then they'll have to make a move that will involve exposing themselves to do it."     Ellis nodded. "Just like last year, right?"     "It's crazy, even for them, but even I can't see any other way. The question is what the attack will be, where it will be, and when. It's a waiting game."     "And in the meantime we have no idea what Naru's going through," Kayin said darkly.     "I know you're worried about her, and so am I. But if we try to attack or raid their headquarters before we have enough information on them, we could end up putting Naru-chan in more danger."     "I agree with Eiji-kun," Ellis replied. Tracy and Sofia both nodded in agreement, although neither one said anything.     "I guess you're right," Kayin agreed finally, though it was close to a mutter.     "We can get a fresh start in the morning," Eiji said to him.     "That is, if none of us are fighting tomorrow," Tracy added.     "Oh, sou ka. Did anyone check the line-up sheet for the next battle?"     "I'm on it," Ellis replied, and headed out the door with a smile and wave. "See you guys...Eiji-kun." Eiji blushed slightly, as Tracy punched him in the shoulder jokingly while Sofia laughed. Not taking part in this, Kayin got up and went to the window.     _Naru. No matter where you are, don't be afraid. I swear to God, we're going to find you._

***************

    Vermilion sat in a chair facing a wall filled with computer screens, similar to the ones that had been in the box seat earlier. Most of them were off-line, but a few, the ones that monitored action in the arenas, were still on. However, at the moment he did not seem to be looking at any of them. More like he was staring past them, deep in thought. That thought was interrupted as the door opened and Master walked in. Vermilion turned around to face her. "I take it you saw today's match?"     She nodded, practically turning up her nose at him. "I did. And you?"     "Of course."     "My angels were monitoring it for me. Wasn't much, was it? I could tell who the victor would be almost as soon as it began."     "Well, what could you expect?" Vermilion replied. "That imbecile Chaos wasn't exactly high up on your list of fighters with any sanity." He emphasized the word 'your', and snickered. "Why did you send him anyway? One of our Soshiki's fighters could've easily been more suited to who they were battling."     Master gave him a dark look. "Let's just say it was a...test. I doubt it would've mattered, anyway. One of THAT group could have taken on any of our fighters with pretty much the same result."     "True," Vermilion agreed. "So, now that we've seen a sample of what one of the these fighters can dish out, I think we can safely assume the others are the same. Those five in particular, the ones that hang out in a group, are the ones we should look out for."     "I agree. Those are the same five that beat Uranus last year. We need to be well prepared for anything they may try."     "Kayin Amoh's in that group. As long as we hold his daughter, they'll be cautious in trying anything."     "Even so," Master stated, "we'd be fools to underestimate them." She grinned. "I say we up the stakes a bit. We should attempt to cripple their defences now, before they learn anything of our plans.     Vermilion looked thoughful. "We can't allow ourselves to be seen quite yet. However, if we were to send Dark Eiji or Dark Ellis, anyone who sees them will mistake them for the real fighters and think nothing of it."     "Good idea," Vermilion said. "We'll start with Kayin. We don't have to it in any particular order, as long as we don't arouse suspicion, and he will simply be fooled into thinking Dark Eiji is his friend--at first."     "I shall start making the arrangements right away." Master turned to leave. "They shall finally learn the true power of the Himitsu Kessha!"     Vermilion watched her go, eyes glimmering with a lust for power behind his tinted glasses as he fingered the trigger of one of his firearms.     "Not for long, foolish girl. Not for long."

**********


	6. Chapter Five: Trespasser

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER FIVE: Trespasser**   
  
**Translations:**     _honto ni_: really     _masaka_: impossible   
  
  


***************

  
    Memories seeped in at the corners of the mind, ones that had tried to be forgotten, surpressed even, a long time ago. And yet, they reared their heads in the subconscious world of dreaming, when the person was powerless to defend against them. This was the time of the most vulnerability.

    _Papa...? Papa, let's play!_

    Memories, some bitter, some sweet, could be triggered by almost anything. They are even more sensitive to this as the person attempts to forget, to put it all behind them. Sometimes, however, it could not be done for long.

    _All right, sweetheart. I've missed you, since I've been gone.     I have too, Papa! Mama said work kept you away. Was it really hard work?     Yes...I suppose it was.
_

    Memories didn't win battles. Memories could win over battles.

    _Kaede, you're looking well.     As are you. What of the Shitennou?     Same as always. There is talk of another tournament, though.     Another? Not after the last one...?     I'm afraid so.     Then...you'll be leaving again?     Yes. I'm sorry. Also...the Master told me she didn't approve of me marrying you. She claimed it would cause...complications.     And it's any of their business.     Even if you are Uranus, you have no idea what the rest of the Shitennou - and even the Master herself - could do. They scheme against you. That's why I have to stay away so often.     I suppose...yes. I wish things could be easier...but I can't just abdicate from the position. Akane would be all too happy to take over.     That couldn't happen. Business is all too strainious these days, and I fear there may be some betrayal among us soon...     I could only imagine. Yes, Ellis, what is it?     Mama, now that Papa's back, can we go to the circus nearby?     Circus...? Oh, you mean the gypsy one. All right.     Yes, it will be nice to spend some more time with my daughter!     Papa! You're silly!
_

    They were in a car, driving to the gypsy circus. Ellis was strapped into her car seat, while her parents were up front. Her mother was driving. Ellis wasn't paying much attention to what was going on outside, as she was filled with childish excitement over their destination.     A car was coming towards them from the opposite lane. Just as they were about to pass, the other car swerved into their lane, facing them head on, and kept going. Ellis remembered the bone-jarring crash, the sickening screech of twisting metal and shattering glass, the yells of her parents, and then blacking out.     She remembered the heat and the roar of the flames. And she remembered someone lifting her, semi-conscious, from the burning wreck of their car. She was lain on a stretcher, the stretcher was put into an ambulance, and the ambulance sped away from the horrible scene...all a frightening blur of fire, screams, pain, explosions, darkness, light...     And suddenly, Ellis was wide awake again, only this time she was lying in a bed, in her cabin, on the tournament grounds, in pitch darkness with tears running down her face.

****************

    "I can't believe you'd want to see those two fight," Kayin was saying to Ellis in the morning. It had been discovered that none of the five fighters were up for the next fight. In fact, it was scheduled to be between Duke B. Rambert (Eiji's very vehement rival and opponent in the last tournament) and Fo-Fai (Kayin's opponent in the last tournament). Neither were very popular in the views of the five fighters.     "Well, I'm curious to see what happens," Ellis retorted.     "I'm with Kayin on this one," Tracy muttered. "Who'd want to see them again?" Sofia was also in agreement. Eiji didn't say anything, though he had noticed Ellis looked a little baggy-eyed this morning, plus she had been yawning an awful lot. He simply assumed she'd had had trouble sleeping, but decided to keep an eye on her, just in case. Eiji took a deep breath and forced a grin. The things he had to do sometimes. "I'll go with you, Ellis."     "You will, Eiji-kun?" Ellis's blue eyes looked big and hopeful.     Noticing the others' surprised looks, Eiji hastily added, "Um, I'm rather curious myself."     "Fine," Kayin replied. "The three of us'll stay here." Sofia and Tracy nodded. Then he added with a smile, "Just make sure Duke doesn't see you, or he may kick Fo out of the ring and drag you in."     "I'll keep that in mind," Eiji replied with a laugh.

****************

    As they had arrived early in one of the smaller colosseums, the fight didn't begin for a while, which gave Eiji a chance to ask Ellis if she was all right.     "I'm just fine, Eiji-kun," she replied. "I just didn't get much sleep last night because I was thinking about the tournament and...other things."     "Like what?" Eiji pressed, concerned. "It's obvious you haven't been getting enough sleep, and you looked a little troubled this morning--"     "It's nothing!" Ellis burst in a tone that even surprised her. Noticing the crestfallen look on Eiji's face, she sighed sadly. "Sorry, Eiji-kun...it's just...the dreams started up again."     "Dreams?"     "Old flashbacks. From before my parents - my mother, actually - was killed. And what happened after. I tried to put it all behind me, I really did...just so the dreams would stop. But now..." Ellis covered her eyes with one hand. "They're all coming back, and they hurt just as much as ever."     Eiji looked downwards in respect. "I'm sorry...about that. I had troubled dreams too, after...after--"     "After what?"     "Um, never mind. I'll tell you later. Anyways," Eiji put his arm around her. "I learned that you can't always forget. Sometimes, memories resurface for a reason. You usually don't know it at the time, but they do. Honto ni."     Ellis wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled. "Maybe you're right. Thanks." She looked up again, ready to watch the fight and to not to push it any further, though she had to struggle to hide a happy smile when Eiji didn't remove his arm from around her. Making sure to stay hidden behind a group of spectators in one of the farther-back rows, the fight began.     It started off the same as all the rest, giving the two participants a chance to exchange some pre-fight comments before the match actually began, while the audience were all eager to hear the dubbed "trash-talk" between the two fighters.     Duke started off by saying, "Well, this should be quite amusing. Normally I don't make it a habit to fight the elderly."     Fo just laughed at this remark, in his usual odd, high-pitched cackle. "I promise I'll make your defeat quick, Sir Knight, and try not to humiliate you TOO much."     "Spare me your talk, old man," Duke replied, pulling out his family's massive two-handed sword, the Dernier Vancour. The repaired one, at least, since Eiji had shattered the original one in the fight which had made them rivals so long ago. "We came to fight, not to talk, and I came here to win, for the glory of my ancestors and to avenge the loss of my love."     ("He's got a love?" Ellis whispered to Eiji, up in the stands. Eiji shrugged. "I guess..." _Wait,_ Eiji realized with a jolt. _Uranus..?! Masaka, that can't mean..._)     "Indeed," Fo agreed, and readied his two sets of steel claws, three long, pointed spikes trailing off of each arm. "You may find out there's more to this 'old man' than you originally realized."     "Minna-san, your fighters for tonight: The DUKE B. RAMBERT and FO-FAI!! Bout One! FIGHT!!"     Fo began by spinning around and slashing his claws across Duke's chest. This didn't do much damage, however, thanks to the heavy suity of metal armour Duke was wearing. Realizing this, he quickly bent back and fired forward one of his giant shimmering blue-purple Mystic Spheres at him, but Duke easily avoided the hit. Duke managed to nail Fo with his Southern Cross attack, spinning around, jumping up and bringing his sword down in an overhead somersault-slash. Fo recovered and launched a Pagoda Kick at Duke's face, catching him off guard and knocking him to the floor of the arena. He tried to get up, only to be knocked down again by Fo dashing forwards nimbly and sliding at his feet, claws to the ground. Duke then found himself on the receiving end of a volley of slashing and kicking and a Mystic Sphere at close range until he could take no more and hit the ground, and Fo was declared the winner of Bout One. Bout Two started off almost the same way, except this time Duke managed to dodge another Pagoda Kick and Fo had to avoid almost going off the edge. He once again succeeded in striking him with the Southern Cross. Then, before he could get up, Duke picked Fo up by the collar of his Chinese costume and smashed his face into his metal-plated knee. Yelling in pain, Fo got up again and tried another whirling slash, only to take a cutting sword in the back. Finally, Duke launched into his Overdrive attack, leaping forwards in a somersault and smashing his sword against the ground, causing explosions of ki to rock the air and the arena, draining away the last of Fo's consciousness. Both fighters now had one win, so a third tie-breaking bout had to be called. In it, Fo was determined not to be the loser. But it was obvious that Duke had made the same resolution, and he clearly had the upper hand. He easily dodged or blocked everything Fo threw at him. In addition, Duke kept launching attacks of his own, surprisingly enough, they were too fast for Fo to do anything but take the hits. By the time he finally collapsed, ending the match and making Duke the winner to a yell of cheers from the audience, he was bruised, beaten up and exhausted.     Duke stood at the edge of the arena, held up his sword and shouted, "Take care, Eiji! This is just the beginning! The next match I shall fight will be between the two of us! And again, I shall be victorious!"     At that moment, Eiji and Ellis were in the process of quickly filing out of the arena with the rest of the crowds, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

****************

    "So, how'd it go?" Kayin asked when the two returned, while sitting on the step of Sofia's dorm and polishing Excalibur, with Sofia and Tracy conversing with him and each other over different fighting and weaponry techniques.     "Duke won," Eiji replied. "Seems like he's been doing a lot of training since we met last."     "It's probably because he's not fighting you this year."     "He seems to think he is," Ellis said with a giggle. "At the end of the match he shouted something about this being only the beginning, and how his next victory's going to be against Eiji."     Kayin snorted. "Way to go, Eiji. Been here less than a week and you've already got someone pissed at you."     Eiji groaned. "Shut up."     "Hey dudes, why don't we go out for lunch?" Tracy was quick to jump in. "There's a restaurant not far outside the grounds."     "Are you sure we're allowed to leave?" Ellis asked.     "I do not see why not," Sofia mused. "As long as we come back and return in time for the next match."     "Well, I've going to get my jacket from my cabin, first," Kayin said, getting up. "I'll join you in about five minutes."     Eiji nodded. "I should go get mine, too."     "Then we will wait here for you two," Sofia answered as Kayin headed back down the path to his dorm. He had almost reached his cabin when he saw someone moving around in it through the window and heard the sound of things being thrown around. He quickly unsheathed his sword, then threw open the door and shouted, "Okay, mate! You've got about five seconds to explain yourself before you're breathing through a hole in your neck!"     The dark figure turned around. Kayin stared at him a second, then resheathed his sword in relief, though it wasn't without some confusion. "Oh, Eiji, it's just you. What are you doing here? I thought..." He stopped. Something wasn't right here. Eiji looked...different somehow. It was the same looks, spiky auburn hair and red eyes, but instead of his normal white-and-red clothes, he was wearing an almost completely black outfit with deep red trim. Kayin didn't have time to question about these things, though, because at that moment, Eiji was pulling his own sword out its sheath.     For Kayin, what happened in the next few minutes was all a blur.

**********


	7. Chapter Six: Deception

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER SIX: Deception**   
  
**Translations:**     _otousan_ - father     _okaasan_ - mother     _hai_ - yes     _-san_ - honourific used for politeness; similar to our "Mr." or "Mrs."     _musuko_ - son     _kodomo_ - kid     _meifuku o inoru_ - "may your soul rest in peace"; one of Sho's TSD2 win quotes     _doshita no?_ - what's wrong?     _oi, kisama!_ - hey, bastard!   
  
  


***************

  
    _Why...? What is it that I was told...?_     Eiji Shinjo was standing silently in the middle of his cabin, his red-and-gold jacket slung over one shoulder. Rather than leaving, he was staring at his ceremonial katana, the Hyakko no Tachi, which was sheathed and lying on his bed. It looked as though Eiji was only staring at the sword, but he was actually deep in thought. About what Ellis had said today about dreams from the past, ones that were tried so hard to be locked away. Eiji had more than his fair share of those, and he wasn't completely sure he even understood what he had told Ellis himself. More or less, their conversation had reminded him of the one particularly painful memory from childhood that Eiji had spoken to no one about after it happened, not even to his friends, the police, anyone...     _You can't always forget...that part was true, at least. But why...I still didn't understand why..._ Eiji looked away from the sword for a moment, clenching a fist. "Otousan...okaasan..."     Eiji made his decision. Buried memories were often brought back for important reasons, as he himself had said. This one was part of his destiny. _It's hard...but I know, I remember hearing the name Shitennou, and everything else...how could I ever forget...that day started it all._     He regressed, letting the recollectance slip forwards and engulf him in the former sadness and mourn, the longing and the trauma, all of which he had tried so hard to let go.

  
_     In a small thatched house in a village called Aizu-Wakamatsu in Japan, there lived a happy family. It was an archetypal one, a mother, a father, and their pride and joy, their two young sons. They all loved each other, and looked to be the average Japanese family, but deep behind them lay a secret known only to the father. It lay with the old story of the Byakkotai, the White Tiger clan of the samurai who committed harakiri so many years ago, for a false truth. One samurai had survived. He was their ancestor. The father, and the two boys, were the only remaining descendants of the Byakkotai. The father knew all of this, but kept it hidden, for it was told of the Byakkotai's spiritual powers that defied belief. He knew his sons may harbor the power, though only one of them could receive the clan's sacred katana, the Byakko no Tachi, passed on for generations from father to the oldest son in the family. However, the father felt the time was not right to even mention swordsplay training to his eldest yet. He was still a child, only twelve years old. And yet, he could feel a power from him...an odd one, hauntingly powerful and not understandable yet. Unawakened...     Though his swordsmanship was renowned throughout Japan, the father hid the secret that he was a descendant of the Byakkotai. Because he knew what would come. He knew that THEY would come. He had already been forewarned by an old friend, so he knew to keep quiet. In any event, in the case that something did happen to him, his friend, another unmatched swordsman, promised to train the eldest son in the ways of ki and swordfighting.     However, the peace was not to last. One otherwise-quiet summer night, there was a knock at their door. The mother, Keiko, rose to answer it, but the father, Satoshi, got up to get it instead, as the two sons watched to see who it could be. Satoshi grimaced, for he, as a warrior himself, could feel the ki, the power and force of the ones who were behind the door.     "Hai?" Satoshi asked, glancing at the four darkly-cloaked figures. Their faces were half-shadowed as well, and only their eyes were visible. Cold and evil. Keiko saw them too and gasped, quickly hearding her children into a separate room so they would be out of the way should danger arrise. One of the figures stepped forward and only said, "You are Shinjo-san, are you not?"     "Hai, I am Shinjo Satoshi. What business have you with my family?"     Another one of the shadows came forward as well. "We wish to discuss a matter of great importance with you."     Satoshi examined them curiously. "And that would be?"     The first one spoke again. "Your sons."     He frowned. "Why?"     One of the farther figures to the back spoke out, "Have you heard of the Toshinden, Shinjo-san?"     "I believe I have. It is one of the old sacred legends, telling of the stories of many brave warriors and their destinies."     The second character nodded. "Yes. And we are from the Himitsu Kessha, a secret government who have read the sacred legend itself. We are governed by the Shitennou, who read into the future of the legend, and it appears both of your sons will play a vital role. You see, Shinjo-san, were you to give them both to us now, we will treat them with care and teach them ourselves."     Satoshi ground his teeth. "I am perfectly capable of teaching swordsplay myself. What you are talking is nonsense. No one can read the future, not even through the old legends. The Shitennou was a myth."     The final person spoke out at last. "But they can. They are special. And the Shitennou will teach your sons how to awaken their powers as well--for the benefit of the world, of course."     Satoshi was silent for a moment, as he examined them again. He could roughly see the outlines of sword-sheaths hidden under their cloaks. Satoshi finally turned around and reached for a sheathed sword hanging on the wall. He pulled it off and unsheathed it with unspoken fluidity. The Byakko no Tachi's blade shone. "If you want my sons to become some sort of test projects for your experiments, then you will have to go through me first."     The original figure snickered quietly. "With pleasure." He lept into the air, removing a sword from its sheath and attempting to land a flying axe kick. Satoshi dodged, then flew forward with a thrusting slash. He only managed to cut a bit of his opponent's cloak. Meanwhile, the other three unsheathed swords joined in the fray, and Satoshi soon found himself fighting for his life. Dodging, blocking and parrying attacks from four different opponents, it shouldn't have been too hard for him, but these fighters--seemed more than human. Immortal, maybe...?     One of the figures threw a feint, and Satoshi blocked, which proved to be a fatal error. Another jumped in from the side, and thrust his sword right through Satoshi's back. The blade shot through to the other side, dripping with crimson blood. He pulled the sword back out, and Satoshi fell to the ground.     "Otousan!!" the eldest son cried out in concern. He tried to run out to his father, but his mother held him back. "No, musuko, protect your brother," were Keiko's words to him.     "But, okaasan..."     It was too late. Keiko had already run out and had her arms around the now-still body of her husband. "You monsters!!" she screamed at the four shadows. "Why?? Why would you do such a thing? What have we done to you?"     Their cruel smiles were hidden by their cloaks. "Not you. What your sons WILL do. Your sons are fated to destroy our great organization in the future. Only we four know of this. We will take them and this information back to our leader, who will decide whether or not to execute your children now or keep them as our own warriors."     "No!! You will never do that!" Keiko lunged at the man, but he simply smacked her aside to the floor. Keiko cried out in pain, and the figure placed his sword on the small of her back.     "We will have to take your sons by force then. Gomenasai." He shoved the sword downwards, severing her spinal cord. The two sons could only watch in horror, but the eldest couldn't take it anymore. He dashed out to his mother's side, as the younger watched in tears from the doorway.     "Okaasan! Okaasan!" the son called again and again, trying to wake her up. Keiko finally opened her eyes; tears were gathering in them as she wiped away her son's. "You...and...your brother...you must be brave...from now on...Please, my son, Sho...look after Eiji...protect him..." With that, she closed her eyes, and like Satoshi, was gone. The eldest son of the Byakkotai descendants gasped, then turned away, eyes closed in pain. "Otousan...okaasan..." Eyes flaming, he grabbed the Byakko no Tachi from his father's lifeless body and held it out in front of him in a makeshift fighting stance, tears streaming down his face. The lead intruder laughed.     "So, it is the Kesshoku no Tenshi, the so-called--heh--Blood-Red Angel. You plan to challenge us at such a young age. You think you can beat us, kodomo? Try it! Let's see how much power you have now, before the Shitennou get through with exposing your true abilities!"     Gritting his teeth, the words were growled out. "Meifuku...o...INORU!!"     With that, ki, pulsating and flaring, exploded from his hands and flew up the length of the sword-blade, lighting it up with a power that glowed and lit the whole room with its fury. The intruders backed off slightly, unexpecting this show of power. "What the hell is--?" The leader never got a chance to finish the sentence. The boy raised the sword, and with a scream of fury, swung it down again in a slashing motion. The ki blasted out of the blade, surging towards the four and smashing into them with the force of a brick wall. They were blasted out of the house and into a nearby alley, the lifeless bodies smashing into some trash cans before falling silently to the ground. And the channeler of such tremendous power stood there, exhaling hard, a hard look of stone on his twelve-year-old face. Finally, he dropped the sword, then turned back to his seven-year-old little brother, his only remaining family, who was watching him with big, tearful eyes. He crouched down to his brother, and whispered, "Don't worry, Eiji. As long as we have each other, everything will be all right."     Sniffling, the youngest cried out, "Niisan!!" and hugged his brother. The two held each other for a long time, but only the little brother cried. The eldest found that he couldn't. The tears were gone, only a coldness remained, remorse replaced by the immense power he had just awakened. From then on, his emotions were locked away to the world, with little to no hope of retrieving them. And it was true, their destinies were far from over...

    After that, the two Shinjo brothers, Sho and Eiji, tried their hardest to put the traumatic event behind them and to try and make it living on their own. The eldest son, Shinjo Sho, was to later be trained by the father of Kayin Amoh in swordsplay, as was decided before his own father died. After Sho himself became a skilled master swordsman with the Shinjo clan's sacred katana, at age twenty, eight years after that fated day, he took on both his younger brother, Shinjo Eiji, as well as his own sensei's son, Kayin Amoh, as his own students. It was for an unknown reason, however, for he had no previous intentions of becoming a teacher himself. Though it all had to do with the secret letter that had arrived one day, as well as the invitation to fight in the Toshindaibukai tournament soon after...

    When Sho mysteriously disappeared around three years later, and Kayin's father was murdered in the Toshindaibukai tournament, both Eiji & Kayin had reasons to represent their clans themselves at the Toshindaibukai. Then would come the fated day, when they would meet up again at the tournament...

  


_     Falling back forwards again, with nowhere to see or land, Eiji opened his eyes, tears filling them and blurring his vision. Quickly wiping them away, he reflected on some of the details that he had forgotten in his young age. _They were sent by the Shitennou. I saw the kanji for that name on the Himitsu Kessha building. Does that mean that they..._     Coming upon that startling realization, Eiji snatched up his sword and fastened the sheath to his belt. He pulled on his jacket and started to leave the cabin, but once he threw open the door, Ellis was there, looking out of breath.     "Ellis-chan! Doshita no?" Eiji asked, surprised.     "Eiji-kun! Something's wrong! Come on!"

***************

    The other Eiji pulled out his sword and threw a Rekkuzan at Kayin, who barely got his sword up in time to block the attack. Then Eiji charged, and before Kayin had any time to make sense of what was happening, the two were locking swords, with Kayin pinned to the floor. He struggled, but Eiji seemed to have more strength than him.     "What the hell are you doing??" Kayin shouted angrily. "Have you gone loony!?"     He got no response from Eiji, but managed to kick him off. Eiji immediately jumped into the air and shot back down with a Ryuseikyaku, but Kayin quickly dodged with speed that was legendary. Once Eiji landed, he swung a sharp kick right into Kayin's midsection. While he was still staggering from that, Kayin received another, this time in the face, winding up on the floor again. Suddenly he felt himself being picked up as Eiji lifted him over his head and threw him to the ground. Kayin got back on his feet, shakily though, and resumed his blocking position.     "C'mon, this is me you're fighting," Kayin tried again. "We're supposed to be best friends, remember? I mean, of course there WERE those couple little incidents I played on you back a few years ago, but I didn't think they'd make you that angry--"     Still nothing. The only response Kayin got was Eiji sliding towards him with Shugekidan and following with a Hishouzan. Kayin was knocked into the air and hit his head on the ceiling. He hit the floor hard, but got up nonetheless, trying to shake the darkness off. He determined not to fall until he got some answers out of Eiji. That, however, was going to difficult, because for some reason Eiji was determined to beat him, and was refusing to listen to a word Kayin said. He came at him again with a leaping slash, but once again Kayin moved out of the way.     Finally, it became clear to him that Eiji probably was going to beat him, unless he did something and quick. Eiji needed to be knocked back to his senses, anyway. As Eiji charged again, this time he was hit by Kayin's Scottish Moon. Then Kayin began to channel what energy he had left, building up for one of his most powerful attacks. He wasn't planning to inflict the maximum number of hits, just enough to keep him down long enough to get some answers.     "Hell's Gate!!" Only, as Kayin started into the attack, he noticed that Eiji was just standing there, looking calm and not even blocking. Then, as Kayin rushed towards him, ki flowing off his body, Eiji merely stepped aside! Kayin suddenly realized he'd made a fatal mistake. Not only was his attack going to miss, he had left himself open to a counterattack from Eiji. As he started to come down, he saw Eiji gearing up for his Jigokumon attack and Kayin knew he was in trouble. The attack hit over and over, with sparks and slashes all over the place as Kayin was lifted into the air by a number of slices from Eiji's sword. Both finally landed, but this time Kayin didn't get up. The final attack had proved too much for him.     Dark Eiji bent over his unconscious victim. After determining that Kayin was out cold, he readied his own sword, a replica of the Hyakko no Tachi, to give the final blow. Suddenly he looked up. There were footsteps, several of them, off in the distance but getting closer. He could also hear a young girl calling Kayin's name. Better not risk getting caught. Dark Eiji quickly opened the window, climbed out, and disappeared into the surrounding forest.

***************

    "Kayin! Kayin, wake up. It's me, Ellis."     "I don't think that's going to work, Ellis-chan. Here, let me try something...Now if this doesn't wake him up, nothing will."     "Uh, I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Eiji-kun."     "Trust me. It's justified, because he did it to me last year, so now it's payback."     The next thing Kayin knew, he was being drenched as a bucket of water was dumped over his head. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the faces of Ellis and Eiji. Eiji was holding the still-dripping bucket. Sofia and Tracy stood nearby, surveying the wreckage of the cabin with curiousity. Tracy shook her head. "Looks like there was some heavy-level shit goin' on here."     "I agree," Sofia answered. "Kayin, what--" No time for an answer. In one lightning-quick motion, Kayin was on his feet, grabbed Eiji by the collar of his jacket, and had him pinned up against the nearest wall. "What's the big idea, huh?" he yelled.     "Hey, take it easy," Eiji replied, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. "I was only getting you back for doing it to me last year."     "I'm not talking about that! What's the big idea trashing my cabin and beating me up? What did I ever do to you?"     Eiji looked shocked. "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't do this."     "Don't give me the old 'innocent' routine, Eiji! I know it was you. I knew your jokes were kind of deranged, but this ones tops them all!"     Eiji knocked Kayin's grip away angrily. "Are you sure you didn't take a really hard blow to the head or something? I'm telling you, I didn't do it!"     The three girls were just staring him, open-mouthed. Finally, Ellis put her hand on Kayin's shoulder.     "Kayin, we don't know who broke into your cabin and attacked you, but it couldn't have been Eiji. I know it!"     Kayin loosened his grip on Eiji's collar. "But if it wasn't, then who?"     "You are absolutely sure it was Eiji?" Sofia asked.     "I'm sure. Same clothes, same hair, same voice, same height and looks. He had all the same attacks, and even his sword looked like the Byakko no Tachi."     "Now that's impossible," Eiji replied seriously. "There's only one Byakko no Tachi, and it only belongs to me."     "Well, then there is only one explanation that I can come up with," Sofia murmured.     "An imposter?" Ellis suggested. Sofia nodded.     "Come to think of it," Kayin mused, finally letting go of Eiji, "there did seem to be something different about him."     "But why would anyone want to impersonate Eiji?" Ellis asked.     "Who knows?" Sofia replied. "I would not have expected the Himitsu Kessha to try something like this."     "I'll just bet the Himitsu Kessha's behind this too," Eiji said with grim determination. "Having someone break in disguised as me sounds like something they'd come up with."     "Nothing's been taken," Tracy observed. "I checked. Looks like he was jus' lyin' in wait for ya, boy."     They were all quiet for a few minutes, then Tracy added on, "We needta go somewhere and discuss in private. How `bout that restaurant I mentioned earlier?"     "Sure," Kayin agreed. Then he added with a grin, "I guess that guy couldn't have been you after all, Eiji. He actually had some talent."     "Oi, kisama!"     Sofia, Ellis and Tracy just laughed. It sounded like, despite all that had happened, Kayin was just fine.

***************

    "Well, you sure botched that one, didn't you."     Dark Eiji stood in the main office of the Himitsu Kessha, in front of Master and Vermilion standing by on the side. Dark Ellis was also in the room, leaning against the far wall with her arms crossed. Master looked disapproving, but surprisingly calm, given the news she had just received. As usual, it was hard to tell just what Vermilion was thinking.     "Failure is not something we accept in this organization," Master continued. "Not only did you fail to seriously hurt Kayin Amoh, you allowed him to see you."     "I almost had him," Dark Eiji replied, head hung in a respective bow, "but then I heard other people coming. I couldn't risk the chance of being seen again. As for Kayin Amoh, you need not worry. He thought I was the real Eiji Shinjo. He had no idea who I really was."     "Those five aren't stupid!" Master argued back. "Now they'll suspect something. And they'll try even harder to find and destroy us. Which is why we must be extra careful not to expose ourselves again."     "Give me another chance, Master-sama, please," Dark Eiji begged.     Vermilion spoke up for the first time. "You will get another chance, but not right now. I think we should let Dark Ellis give it a try this time."     Dark Ellis bowed to them. "I promise I won't let you down. I already have a plan for dealing with them."     "Oh?" Vermilion cocked an eyebrow in curiousity. "Might we ask what it is?"     "I plan to pose as the real Ellis and infiltrate their group."     "Then you had better make sure Ellis doesn't interfere with your plan."     "Don't worry. I'll take care of that first thing."     "Very well. We'll leave the details up to you." Vermilion turned around, surveying both Dark Eiji and Dark Ellis. "Now leave us. Both of you."     After the two clones had left, Master turned to Vermilion. "Do you think she'll be able to pull it off?"     "Let the girl have her chance. If she fails, we can always deal with fighters ourselves." He grinned. "And we'll be sure to finish the job right this time, correct?"     "I...suppose that would be something along the lines of my thoughts." 

**********


	8. Chapter Seven: Discovery

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER SEVEN: Discovery**   
  
**Translations:**     _hai_ - yes     _Kami-sama_ - God   
  
  


***************

  
    "Excuse me," Kayin asked a passing waiter, "but do you have any dishes that don't involve murdering a poor, defenseless creature just so we, the cruel human race, could use it for food?"     The waiter looked startled by this sudden confrontation. "Uh...I don't think so, sir..."     Eiji buried his face in his hands. "Must you do this every time we go out to eat?"     Kayin grinned defensively. "Ohhhhhh, yeah. I'm a vegetarian, y'know? Totally against slaughtering any animal that breathed or blinked."     "You know, I don't think the girls would appreciate having their appetites ruined," Eiji muttered. Ellis, who had been previously viciously attacking her pork chop with menace, had paused with her fork half-raised and was now staring at them.     "Sure, they'd like to hear about it. Right?" Kayin turned to the three women at the table, all of whom were trying their best to look like they didn't know him. But Tracy couldn't resist, so she held up a lettuce leaf from her salad with a nasty grin. "Hey, Kayin, look! I think it's blinking!"     Ellis was trying very hard to hold in her laughter, but it didn't help. She burst out laughing, as did most of their table. After the mirth had mostly subsided, Sofia hissed to the rest of them, "Everyone, I think we are making a scene."     Sure enough, the group was on the tail end of most of the tournament's on-site restaurant customers strange looks. Ellis quickly managed to get herself under control, although it took a bit of time to do so.     "Now," Sofia began, clasping her hands together on the table top, "We should forget about the food for now and focus on what happened today." The rest of them immediately calmed down as Eiji began the discussion. "What we can assume is that the attack on Kayin today was the Himitsu's 'first move,' which we were all expecting. And I think we can safely assume whoever's impostering me works for the Himitsu too."     "As if we didn't have enough things to figure out already," Tracy muttered. "Now we gotta find out who this imposter-type dude is and how he's tied in to all this crap."     "And we're still no closer to finding Naru," Kayin added forlornely.     "That's another thing I can't figure out," Tracy continued. "In other kidnapping cases I've dealt with, the kidnapper usually leaves a note, or a phone call, or somethin'. But we haven't heard anything. No ransom, no specific instructions, other than 'fight in this year's tournament.' But that can't be the only thing they want from us."     "Could be they're biding their time for something," Ellis suggested.     "Maybe we need to take a different approach," Eiji said. "Instead of trying to find information on the Himitsu, perhaps we should focus on their headquarter building."     "That's a good idea," Kayin agreed. "So we're sure that the gold building's the HQ?"     _Shitennou..._ Eiji thought seriously. "Hai, I'm nearly positive."     "It is of no doubt," Sofia added on. "They would want to be able to watch the matches without being seen, and at the same time keep track of us. It is logical enough."     "Yeah," Tracy agreed. "All we gotta do is ask ourselves how we can get in and smash `em up!"     "Not yet. We need to keep a watch on them, to see if we can find a break in their defenses," Eiji warned.     Tracy's face fell, replaced by a look of disappointment. "You sure know how to ruin things, Eij."     "Looks like we got ourselves a plan," Kayin said, satisfied. "And I think we should get started on it right away."     Eiji nodded. "And we should check out the fight schedule while we're at it. They should have the next match posted by now."     They ended up taking their orders to go. Kayin was prepared to make another speech on the inhumanities of meat production, but decided against it after Eiji shot him a very threatening look and held up a table knife warningly. 

***************

    "I'm so nervous," Ellis muttered as she changed from her normal clothes into her fighting outfit in her cabin's small bathroom. The next match, as it turned out, put Ellis up against Mondo, the spear-wielding Yaki-Ichizoku warrior. "What if this Mondo guy is too much for me to handle?"     "You did fine in last year's tournament, Ellis-chan," Eiji encouraged, leaning against one wall, "and I'm sure you'll have no problem beating this guy." He was waiting for her to finish so he could "escort" her to her match in the arena. Ellis, meanwhile, had made him promise (twice) not to peek or try anything of the sort while she was changing, lest he be "breathing through a hole in his throat for the rest of his life". Finally, with a deep breath, Ellis stepped out. Eiji was rather surprised, as he had expected to see her wearing the same costume she wore last year. Although it was relatively the same from the waist up, the chiffon leggings had been changed to a large, feathery, fairy-like light pink skirt which billowed out around her, as did the sleeves in the same manner.     "You changed your costume," Eiji remarked, smiling.     "You like it?" Ellis spun around once, a smile lighting her pretty face. "I modified it a bit from last year. For something different, I guess."     "It looks wonderful, Ellis-chan," he replied. Holding out his hand, Eiji said, "Now, shall we get going? We promised Kayin-chan, Tracy-san and Sofi-san we'd meet them at the arena, and Kami-sama knows that they may be ripping each others' throats out by now."     The three were already waiting for them in the stands of the coliseum when they arrived at Ellis's arena, looking relatively calm, although Sofia looked quite pleased with herself, and it was noticible that Kayin had a very large lump on his head. The match was about to begin.     Ellis grinned. "Now everyone, watch the star take the stage!" she laughed as she broke apart from Eiji to go to center ring. Eiji smiled at her. "Good luck, Ellis-chan." He winked and made a thumbs-up. "Kick his ass!"     Ellis returned the gesture, adding a cute wink into it. "You got it, Eiji-kun!" She turned and climbed into the ring, clutching her double-edged Dirks proudly.     She found her opponent already in the ring, waiting for her. Mondo appeared to be in his late forties, with long gray hair and wearing a fighting costume that reminded Ellis somewhat of a gi outfit that karate fighters wore while training, with white tassels hanging from the front. On his back he appeared to be wearing a red, square-shaped box, although Ellis had no idea what that was for, maybe a backpack of sorts...? Mondo carried as his weapon a long spear, the legendary Seiryuu Spear. Rumour had it that he had been the only warrior so far worthy enough of wielding it. Mondo was already in his fighting position, ready and waiting to start the match. Ellis could not resist bowing and saying happily, "So, may the best fighter win in this match!"     Mondo issued a cold reply. "It's a pity a child such as yourself must taste defeat so early in her life."     Ellis tossed her emerald hair and grinned while cocking one eyebrow, something she had picked up from Kayin. "Well, this 'child' is going to show you one hell of a fight. We'll see who goes down first." She bowed to her opponent again, as she always did before the beginning of a fight, and rose her Dirks into her fighting stance.     "Very well, then." Mondo gripped his spear with both hands and readied himself for the fight.     "Bout One! FIGHT!!"     Ellis decided to get things going by jumping into the air and diving back down at Mondo with her Arc Slash. Mondo saw this coming, and knocked her out of the air with his spear-spinning Goriki Fujin. Ellis landed flat on her back, only to jump to her feet again and resume her fighting pose after a couple seconds. She launched into her quick knee slide, which Mondo had a hard time blocking against and took some damage as a result, stumbling to his knees. He jumped up and shot two fireballs at Ellis, who rolled out the way and brought him back to the arena floor with her Flaming Crescent. Mondo fell, but got up quickly and hit her with his Goriki Tenbu. Ellis staggered back, clutching her stomach in pain. She recovered and attacked Mondo while he was coming down from his uppercut with a fast combination of kicks while crouching, only to have it blocked and counterattacked by a strong hit with the spear. It looked about even, but Ellis felt an inner strength building and rising to the surface. Throwing in a short slash for added effect, and shouting "KISS KISS KISS!", she whacked Mondo again and again, with one flaming Dirk and then the other. Finally, she thrust both arms forward, slamming him in the chest and into a K.O.     Bout Two appeared at first as if it was going to go the same the way, but Mondo still had a few tricks to ensure that it didn't. For the first few seconds the two just traded hard kicks and slashes, both getting about the same amount of damage to each other. Eventually, Mondo slid his spear under Ellis's left arm and lifted her right off the ground. He let her hang in the air for a second or two, and then slammed her to the arena floor, hard. Ellis got up again, determined not to lose, and moved in closer to him. She then spun into her Lollipop, one of her more recently-learned moves. Mondo was just a bit too close at the time, so it got the desired results. Mondo once again stood up, and this time appeared to be gathering his ki for a large move. To Ellis's complete surprise, before she could do anything, four fireballs came exploding out the box on his back. The first two hit Ellis and knocked her over, the third missed because she was already on the ground, and the fourth was too high anyway.     _Guess now I know what that box is for,_ Ellis thought as she slowly and painfully struggled to get up. She needed to rethink her strategy somewhat. Wearing him down with kicks and slashes might take too long. Best to end it as quick as possible. Suddenly Ellis knew what she had to do.     She slid into Mondo and launched him upwards with another Flaming Crescent, following him up into the air and hitting him again with her Screw Dancing as he was coming down. After that, she got him with a Lollipop in the back. She followed it up a thrusting kick, a hip slam and an Arc Slash in the back. Then Ellis decided Mondo had been worn down enough, and began channeling and gathering her ki. Ellis flew into the same super attack she had before, and since Mondo was just getting up, he didn't block in time.     "Kiss Kiss Kiss!"     Mondo was pummeled several time before being knocked backwards with a loud scream. He lay on his back, unconscious and barely breathing, as Ellis was proclaimed the winner of the match. After striking a victory pose, she jumped down to the arena floor, where her friends were waiting.     "Looks like you were worried over nothing," Eiji remarked as they headed out and back to their cabins. "I knew you'd do just fine."     Ellis bowed, cheeks flushed with pleasure. "Arigato, Eiji-kun."     "He didn't beat you up too badly, did he?" Kayin asked.     "Nah. I'll probably have a few more bruises than I did when I wake up tomorrow, but I don't think anything's broken."     "That's good. It really would've sucked if you had gotten yourself killed back there."     "Uh, thanks, Kayin--I think."

******************

    It was getting dark as Ellis entered her cabin later that night, after discussing plans of attack on the Himitsu headquarters in Eiji's cabin earlier. She grinned in the dark, remembering on how Eiji had wanted to walk her back, but she insister she was fine on her own. Come to think of it, walking with Eiji _would_ be nice...     She hadn't taken more than another two steps into her cabin when she suddenly felt a heavy weight flung onto her back, and an arm wrapped around her neck in a chokehold.     "`Bout time you got back," said a female voice behind her.     _That voice!_     Ellis managed the arm around her neck and flung her assailant over her shoulder onto the floor in front of her. At the same she found the light switch. Once her eyes had adjusted and Ellis could see the person now standing in front of her, her mouth fell open.     The opponent facing Ellis was an exact copy of herself.

**********


	9. Chapter Eight: Facsimile

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER EIGHT: Facsimile**   
  
**Translations:**     _chotto matte_ - wait a second   
  
  


***************

  
    For Ellis, it was like looking into a mirror. The girl facing her was the same height, with the same short green hair and blue eyes. She was even wearing the exact same white-and-pink fighting costume that Ellis herself was!     "What's the matter?" the other Ellis taunted, revealing that her voice was also identical. "You look like you've seen a ghost."     "But...you...I...what...how...?" Then things started to rapidly click in Ellis's mind. Kayin had been attacked by an imposter of Eiji. This one had to be another imposter, no doubt sent by the Himitsu Kessha for the same purpose.     "I'm here to take my place as the rightful Ellis of the Toshinden tournament," the other Ellis said, as if she hadn't heard Ellis's question.     "The Himitsu Kessha must be getting desperate if they're sending phonys like you to finish off the combatants." Ellis almost surprised herself at how calm she suddenly sounded.     The other Ellis bristled. "Has it ever occured that you might be the phony?"     "Cut it out, okay? I know you're really from the Himitsu Kessha, and if you seriously think you can be me, you're sorely mistaken. There's only room for one Ellis at this tournament!"     "I quite agree, so I suggest we hold a match to determine who is the better Ellis, right here, right now. I can guarantee you, that 'one Ellis' is going to be me."     "You're on!"     The two girls squared off, circling each other in the small, makeshift arena of Ellis's cabin. As was her custom, Ellis bowed before pulling out her Dirks. The imposter was quick to copy, then took up her fighting pose, a pair of her own Dirks in each hand.     Ellis began by running forward and lashing out with a dagger to her opponent's chest. The other Ellis sidestepped and knocked her back with a Soar Wind. Ellis leapt up immediately after landing from the assault and managed to catch her double off-guard with a Lollipop, only to watch her get up even faster than she did. Ellis was quickly finding out that, for an imposter, this Ellis was quite good. She had all of her moves and strategies down cold, unfortunately, and managed to inflict a lot more damage than normal. Ellis realized that this girl was a lot stronger despite her tiny frame, and had more power to put into her attacks. Because of her increased strength, normal kicks and slashes didn't hurt her at all, so Ellis too had to concentrate on more powerful attacks.     She launched into an Arc Slash, only to be cut down by another Soar Wind. The dark Ellis came at her with a quick knee slide, but Ellis was able to block it in time. The other Ellis managed to hit home with a sharp kick to her opponent's shin, and while she was recovering from that, delivered a hard blow to Ellis's stomach. The girl doubled over, clutching her stomach and gasping for breath that didn't seem to come. Her double paused for a second to laugh at her.     "You see? You may be the original, but even you aren't strong enough to beat me. Why not surrender now and let a stronger, more improved version take over?"     Ellis's vision was growing hazy, and her body was wracked with pain and exhaustion. Still, she couldn't afford to give up. No telling what the imposter was going to do if she won the fight. Ellis summoned all her strength for a second try. The imposter was still laughing at her, and was taken completely by surprise when Ellis got up and immediately went into her Screw Dancing, an aerial flip kick that caught the other Ellis under the chin and lifted her almost to the ceiling. She crashed back to the floor, and this time found the real Ellis standing over her.     "You gloat too much," was Ellis's only reply.     The double glared at her and wiped a bit of blood from her chin. Then she started to climb back to her feet and the match was on again. Ellis jumped into the air and performed another Arc Slash at the same time her other did, shouting out the attack's name in one identical voice in unison. They both crashed into each other and fell to floor. The other Ellis the first standing up again. She threw a hip kick, but Ellis cartwheeled out of the way. Suddenly the other Ellis turned and struck her with a Lollipop. Ellis went down, but as she did, she grabbed the darker Ellis's hair and felt it come away easily. Ellis hit the ground and stared at what was in her hand. She was holding a wig! She quickly turned back to look at the other Ellis. Her 'double' now had short brown hair!     "Hey!"     "Well, it seems my secret's been discovered." With that, her costume immediately transformed. The chiffon skirt, sleeves and shoes changed from white to black, and the pink bow and remaining parts went from pink to blue. Her eyes, however, stayed the same, but colder, blue colour.     "This is by no means the end of this. We shall finish this match at another time." With that, she dove through the window and vanished into the woods and fading darkness.     The others were preparing to call it a night themselves after wrapping up their little meeting, when Ellis stormed into Eiji's cabin in front of them, still holding the wig.     "We're not dealing with one imposter anymore," she said, and tossed the wig to the floor at their feet. "Now we're dealing with two."

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    "Well, this is certainly a fine bloody mess," Kayin muttered after Ellis had finished relating the events of the past few minutes. "As if we didn't have enough to worry about right now."     "She was practically identical," Ellis said. "I mean, her voice was the same, she used the same weapon, and she knew all my moves down cold. And even though her hair and costume colours were different, she still looked a lot like me. It was almost like I was seeing my dark side."     "Just like that Eiji imposter," Tracy mused. "Kinda different looks, but same in everythin' else."     Eiji was wondering the same thing himself, and then noticed that Sofia appeared even deeper in thought.     "What do you think, Sofi-san? You've been pretty quiet for a while."     "I was just thinking," Sofia began, "an imposter can be quite good, but even the best imposter is only human, so do you really think they could execute the exact same attacks, portraying voices and heights so perfectly?" She shook her head. "It is not too logical, I am afraid."     "Maybe it's some kind of sorcery?" Ellis suggested. The others looked at her. "Hey, it's not as unrealistic as it sounds."     "What else could it be?" Tracy asked Sofia, who sighed.     "Are any of you familiar with the process of cloning?"     There was a long silence, before Tracy spoke again. "I've read a couple of things on it. People were trying to clone farm animals and things like that. But I heard the process was still an experiment, and no one can REALLY do something like that."     "Well, I do know for a fact that the Himitsu Kessha has some very advanced technology."     "Chotto matte." Eiji stood up. "Are you saying that these imposters are really clones? That the Himitsu Kessha somehow cloned Ellis-chan and I?"     "Why not?" Sofia answered back. "We studied this kind of experiment briefly at the KGB. If they have the technology, all they would need from you is a sample of your DNA. Hair samples, blood samples, anything like that could been acquired easily after the last tournament."     "And that way they'd have their own versions of us," Ellis thought out loud. "Who'd be more than willing to work for the Himitsu."     "So let's just say that these ARE clones of Eiji and Ellis," Kayin finally said. "How are we supposed to deal with them?"     "I am honestly not sure," Sofia replied thoughtfully. "Since they're clones, they are mostly human and not invincible, so I suppose eventually we will have to confront them, fight them and hopefully destroy them."     Kayin groaned. "Why does something tell me that's not going to be as easy as it sounds?"     "Maybe we'll think more clearly in the morning," Eiji suggested. "We all need to get some sleep, especially you, Tracy, seeing as how you have to fight tomorrow."     Everyone nodded, then stood up, Tracy with a mile-wide grin on her face. "Damn, I don't see HOW I'm supposed to sleep tonight! I'm too excited about whuppin' some ass tomorrow!"     Ellis checked the daggers that she had brought with her. "Do you think they'll attack again?"     "I doubt the Himitsu Kessha would try two attacks in the same night," Eiji answered, "but just to on the safe side, eveyone watch their backs tonight."

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    Tracy's match against Rungo was right after breakfast the next morning. Before the match, the group held a quick meeting in Eiji's cabin. No one else experienced surprise visitors in their cabins the night before, and certainly not any that looked Eiji or Ellis.     "Now that the Himitsu had made their next move," Eiji suggested, "they're probably going to wait and see if we do anything about it."     "Or they could just be planning their next strategy," Tracy added.     "It might best not to do anything at the moment," Ellis said, "since they don't know that we're on to them, it might be best not to lose the element of surprise."     "It sounds fine to me," Sofia replied. Kayin was still brooding, if not more so than before, so it didn't look like he cared to answer. Sofia noticed this with her keen perception, and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry, Kayin. Tracy and I plan to investigate the Himitsu Kessha building for any known entrances, so there is a good chance we will find a way in to rescue your daughter. Everything will be fine."     Looking up at her smiling face, Kayin sighed, but grinned weakly. "Guess any guy should be lucky to get some praise outta you, Sofia."     Sofia smirked, straightening up. "So then, consider yourself lucky."     "For now it looks like we aren't going to have a chance to do anything until after the match is over," Eiji said solomnly. "So it would probably be best for all of us to wait until then."     "Are you ready for this fight, Tracy?" Ellis asked.     "You betcha!" Tracy responded, swinging her tonfas for emphasis. "I'm one of the only fighters here who hasn't gotten to fight anybody yet. And I'm just longin' to kick some ass!"     "So let's go, then."     The stated arena was only a short walk from the cabins. While Tracy went to meet her opponent, Eiji, Kayin, Ellis and Sofia were quick to find four seats that had a good view of the arena and the fight.     The first thing Tracy noticed was that Rungo Iron was a very muscular man. North American like she was, he had short blond hair and wore blue pants and a brown leather sleeveless jacket over a white muscle shirt. He carried a large iron club called a mace in one hand that looked like it must have weighed a ton, but Rungo didn't seem to have any trouble lifting it at all. In fact, the way he swung it around, it looked like it almost didn't weigh a thing.     Tracy wasn't a bit intimidated. _The bigger they are, the harder they fall,_ she thought. Then she shouted, "I don't suppose you'd consider making this easy on both of us and just giving up now."     "And what makes you think I'd do a idiotic thing like that?" Rungo replied in a deep voice.     "Just a suggestion. I see you're just as ready to do this as I am."     "I don't think you really know what you're getting into. Get ready to be humiliated!"     "Yo, I love a good challenge. Bring it on, punk!"     "Bout One!" called the announcer, "FIGHT!!"     Rungo ran towards Tracy and effortlessly swung his mace at her, hitting her in the shoulder and sending her to the arena floor. Tracy didn't mind this too much, as it was her custom to let her opponent get the first hit. Now she could claim self-defense and fight back. Shouting "Jackpot!" Tracy leapt straight up, feet first, blades extending out of her boots. She nailed Rungo right in the face and sent him flying backwards. Tracy landed on her feet and resumed her fighting stance. Rungo got up, calling "Fire Wave!" and bashed his mace to the floor, sending up a long column of fire that knocked Tracy off her feet again. Once again she got up and this time moved in closer, and hit Rungo with her Chopper Strike, spinning upwards with her arms outstretched. Then she managed to land a few hard kicks and a beating with one of her tonfas, before finishing off with her Pale Slider, a giant double flip kick that knocked Rungo out.     "Bout Two! FIGHT!!"     Almost as soon as the second bout began, Tracy could see that this one wouldn't be so easy. Rungo immediately got her with another Fire Wave as she was running in to perform another Chopper Strike. Tracy then received a hard kick in the stomach, which caused her to stragger back, clutching her stomach. While she was still doubled over, Rungo proceeded to hit her with another Batter Up, the same move he first used at the beginning of Bout One. Tracy landed near the edge of the arena.     _I gotta do something, and damn fast,_ Tracy thought to herself as she struggled to get up again. Rungo launched a Fire Strike at her, but Tracy dodged it. She took advantage and quickly counterattacked with a Honeymoon, a smaller, single flip kick. It hit Rungo in the back. He stood up again and turned around to face Tracy, only to get kicked in the face by another Jackpot, this time horizontally. Tracy also landed a combination of kicks and hits with her rods, but her offense King's Rave move caused her to be knocked out of the air by Rungo. Then Rungo decided to finish Tracy off with his Overdrive move, charging forward with a yell and swinging his club at her, before hurdling into the air. Tracy blocked, and though her strength was also weakened, she still managed to gather all the energy she had left and counterattacked with her most powerful move.     "Crazy PLANET!!"     Tracy's arms and legs became a blur as she flew into a series of swift-but-hard punches and kicks. Rungo had no time to block or do anything to defend himself from this attack. The barrage ended with one final flip kick, knocking Rungo unconscious and over the edge.     "Ring out. Minna-san, your winner--Tracy!!"     Afterwards, as Tracy was leaving the arena with the others, she was approached one last time by Rungo.     "Congratulations," he said to her. "That was a good match. You're a great fighter."     "Same to you," Tracy responded with a smile. They all headed back to the cabins, eager for what would come next.

****************

    "Dark Ellis has failed," Master informed Vermilion in the office of the Himitsu Kessha. She sneered. "Those clones you created aren't living up my expectations. I thought you were capable of better than this."     "I am," Vermilion replied, unperturbed. "The clones may yet prove their worth, at some other time. Now it seems it's up to us."     "Indeed," Master agreed. "I think the time has come to put Eiji and Kayin to our 'test'."     "My thoughts exactly."

****************

    A couple hours later, the group had all gathered in Kayin's cabin. Tracy was rested and recovered from her battle with Rungo, and now she and Sofia (the two most experienced in those sort of infiltrating abilities) were ready to check out the final building on the tournament property.     "Wish us luck," Tracy said.     "And hope we find what we are looking for," Sofia added.     As they opened the door to leave, they all noticed a note that had been tacked to the outside. Tracy pulled it off and scanned it. "It's for da Scot-boy."     She handed the paper to Kayin, who read it aloud. "Amoh-san: We have decided it is time to see you test your fighting skills. You will go up against Eiji Shinjo in a match to the death. You are to advance to your arena in one hour's time. Don't be late. Signed: The Himitsu Kessha."

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	10. Chapter Nine: Ties

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER NINE: Ties**   
  
**Translations:**     _matte_ - wait     _saa_ - now     _e?_ - what?     _tatami_ - straw floor mats     _ototo_ - little brother     _mou!_ - geez!     _hai_ - yes     _bakayaro_ - stupid bastard     _aa, sou ka?_ - oh, is that right?     _kare ga_ - he was     _itai!_ - Japanese word for 'ouch'     _bokken_ - wooden practice sword     _na, sensei?_ - right, teacher?     _hai_ - yes     _kakatte koi!_ - come and get me!     _otousan_ - father     _nani yo?_ - what is it?     _son'na_ - Oh my God / it can't be   
  
  


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    Standing before the blazing torch, the only light source in the darkened room, her face glowed in the blackness. She was holding a scroll, reading it by the light. She looked up from it, finally, a smile cracking the stillness of her face.     "So then," she whispered. "The time is coming."

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    "Are they serious?" Tracy demanded as Kayin handed the letter over to Eiji to read. "What makes the damned Himitsu think you're just gonna show up because they so?"     "It's got to be a test of some sort," Eiji replied after reading the letter. "Why else would they hold this match so soon after the last?"     "This probably means you have also received the same note back at your cabin, Eiji," Sofia said. "And it is most likely been put up at the bulletin too, although we never thought to check so soon."     "Eiji and Kayin are the only fighters left that haven't yet fought in a tournament match," Ellis reasoned. "Maybe the matchup was just a coincidence."     "'Just a coincidence' my ass!" Tracy responded with vehemency. "I agree with Eiji. The Himitsu's trying to pull something here."     "So what are we supposed to do?" Ellis asked.     "I'll tell you what I'm not going to do," Kayin grumbled. "I'm not going to that match, and you shouldn't either, Eiji. And they honestly believe that we're going to walk right into such a fucking obvious trap..."     "I'm afraid that wouldn't be a wise move at all, Kayin Amoh."     Everyone turned at the sound of this new voice. Standing in the doorway was a large man, appearing to be over six feet tall and at least forty years old. He had long gray hair and a dark gray mask covered the lower part of his face. His clothes, if they could be called that, consisted of a gray and yellow breastplate, similar-looking gloves, and a large gray cloth and belt over red pants that covered the feet, with what looked like pieces of metal armour attached to the lower legs. Had it not been for the giant sword he carried one hand, the five fighters probably wouldn't have recognized him. Ellis was the first to realize who it was.     "Father!"     Indeed, it was Ellis's father, Gaia. Former leader of the Toshindaibukai, now branded as a traitor to the Himitsu. Gaia no longer looked like the giant monster Ellis had been forced to fight in the last tournament. The huge, reddish-black armour with the two hulking appendages on top was now gone, and now he almost looked human.     Gaia only nodded at Ellis, before turning to Kayin. "You are forgetting, Kayin, that the Himitsu Kessha is holding your daughter. They will most certainly be watching the fight. If either of you forfeit, they will undoubtably kill her." Ellis gasped in horror.     "Can you tell us where Naru is?" Sofia asked.     "Unfortunately, I cannot. All I can tell you is that she is safe, for the moment. However, only the Master knows where she is being held."     "And just who is this 'Master'?" Kayin demanded.     "That is something else I'll let you find out for yourself. Just remember this: don't be fooled by appearances, and don't underestimate your opponent. That is all I came to tell you." Gaia turned to leave.     "Matte." Eiji's voice was stern and almost commanding. Gaia looked over his shoulder in surprise at the young red-eyed warrior. "Gaia, what do you know of the Shitennou?"     Gaia sighed and looked away. "Saa, the Shitennou...the four of the governing council of the Himitsu Kessha. What might you want with them?"     "Personal business. Who are they?"     The older man thought for a moment. "One, you have already destroyed. Another, you have met before. Another, you will soon face. And the last..." He looked back at all of them, especially Ellis. "Is I."     "DAMN YOU!!!" In an instant, Eiji had his sword unsheathed and was lashing out towards Gaia, who almost looked shocked. Quickly, a pink-and-white streak got in front of Gaia, brandishing two silver daggers.     "Don't, Eiji-kun." Ellis's voice was dark. "I don't know what you have against my father, or the Himitsu Kessha, but we can't afford to go after our own personal vengeances now."     Eiji's hands, gripping the sword-hilt tightly, were shaking. "The Shitennou were the ones who gave the orders to kill my family...destroyed my niisan's and my life forever by waking us up to this whole damned destiny thrall we have to live through...and I'm supposed to forgive one of the ones who made us suffer?!?"     "God DAMMIT, then don't put me through the same thing you did!!!" Ellis's voice came out in a scream. Calming down slightly, she started again. "You're not going to kill my father. He may have been one of the ones who did those awful things. But he's not anymore, and I know it."     "Daughter." Gaia put one of his hands on her shoulder gently. Ellis looked up at him in surprise. "I am proud that you seek to defend what you care for. However, Eiji has a worthy vendetta with me as well." He cast his eyes on Eiji again. "But she is right, Eiji. I am no longer one of the Shitennou."     "But why?" Eiji whispered. "Why did you even try to capture niisan and I...?"     "It was all in the legend, my boy. All in the legend." He turned against to leave, continuing. "Ask the legend for your answer. Or better yet, ask your brother."     "Wait!" Ellis cried out. Gaia stopped and looked at her. "I mean," she added, "I heard that the Himitsu Kessha was after you, and that they were going to kill you, and..."     Gaia almost seemed to smile. "Do not worry about me, daughter, I shall be fine. I have avoided their forces thus far, and will continue to do so. I know now that it is you who will avenge your mother's death, although it is I who have wished it for so long." With that, he was gone.     Ellis was left shocked. "What did...what does my mother's death have to do with it...?" She clenched a fist, trying not to cry. "Father...when will I ever know the truth...??"     A heavy silence followed for the next few minutes. Eiji, finally composing himself and re-sheathing his sword, walked over to Ellis. "Ellis-chan...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say those things to you...it was just a blind fury I was in..."     Ellis shook her head, pasting a smile on her face. "It's okay, Eiji-kun. I'm sorry for yelling at you, and..."     "It's forgotten." Eiji smiled at her, before Kayin broke in by asking, "So now what are we going to do?"     "If Naru's life really is at stake here, then it looks like we don't have a choice, now," Eiji said. "But I don't want to fight you."     "You think I do?" Kayin retorted. "This isn't exactly a picnic for me either."     "Maybe you could fake it," Tracy suggested. "You know, the way actors do in martial arts movies?"     "I don't think it would work," Eiji replied. "If representatives from the Himitsu are going to be there, then they might catch on." He looked at Kayin. "As much as I hate to say it, I think we'll have to fight each other for real."     "But we haven't seriously sparred since we were training together years ago," Kayin protested. "And even then, one of us usually got hurt."     "I'm not thrilled about it either, but it doesn't look like we have any other alternative."     "Tracy and I are going to go ahead with our plan to check out this gold building," Sofia interrupted. "If Gaia's right and they will be watching the match, then chances are they won't be watching us when we try to find the entrance." Then she added, "Ellis, I think you should go with Eiji and Kayin to the match and keep an eye on things there."     Ellis nodded. "Right. Good idea."     Eiji stood up. "We'd better get over to the arena right away. Who knows how long ago that note was put up, and we might be running out of time."     The group split up outside of the cabin. As they were about to go their separate ways, they all wished each other good luck. As Tracy and Sofia headed towards the mysterious building, Tracy muttered under her breath, "Somethin' tells me we're all gonna need it."

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_     "Eiji, I'm taking in another student."     Eiji's eyes snapped open from the meditation he had just been in. "E?"     His brother was sitting right in front of him on the tatami of the small training dojo, regarding fifteen-year-old Eiji with curiousity. "I assume you're not pleased with my decision?"     "Uh, iie, but...I thought you were only training me."     Sho, who had just turned twenty, looked out the window. "That I will do. But I owe a favour to the one who taught me. And he wishes for me to train his son." Sho looked back at his little brother, smiling. "Come on now, ototo. It will be fun and a good experience for you, getting to know another boy close to your own age. There aren't enough here in Aizu for you to be close friends with. He's sixteen, only a year older than you, and I hear he's quite good already..."     Eiji picked at the tatami, debating whether or not to argue with his elder brother. "Mou! I don't need any friends! I have you, niisan, right?"     Sho almost didn't respond to this innocent question, but looked away. "I...I suppose so. But I think it would really be best if you had someone else to train with."     Eiji commented in confusion, "But if you trained us both, our styles would be too similar with the same techniques and all..."     Sho stood up, walking towards the window. "Then that is why you must always fight together."     "Niisan?"     Sho pulled out a length of white cloth from the folds of his shirt, regarding it for a moment. Just the sight of it brought back enough memories...watching their own late father train with adoring eyes, the time his father had finally broke down after Sho had begged him to let him try his hand with the sword, and when his father had given him this cloth to keep his long hair out of his eyes... Sho fingered the hilt of the Byakko no Tachi, which lay slung at his side.     
_After all, it's not a matter of decision. It's a matter of destiny. It's about time we stopped denying that we're a part of something more, something that will take effect soon..._ "Eiji."     Eiji straightened up in his place of kneeling on the mat. "Hai?"     His brother tossed him a strip of white. A headband.     "You'll need this. For your training. We begin in a week."
_

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    Fortunately, Eiji and Kayin did manage to make it to their battle in time. They both quickly warmed up a bit with their respective swords, then glanced to where Ellis was waving at them from her seat in the stands.     "This sure brings back memories, huh?" Kayin asked.     "Just like our old practices," Eiji agreed. "Only this time it's for real. Still, it's for Naru-chan's sake..."     "So I guess I'll have to try to not kick your ass that hard. It'll be a real temptation to, but I'll try to resist."     Eiji shook his head. "Baka."     Kayin grinned and held out a gloved hand. "Best of luck to you, Eiji-chan." Eiji smiled and accepted it. "And to you, Kayin-chan."     The announcer's voice crackled through the stadium, packed full with spectators who wanted to catch a glimpse of this "unforgettable" match-up. "Minna-san, your fighters for this match: EIJI SHINJO and KAYIN AMOH!!" The crowd cheered, Ellis being one of the loudest. Eiji and Kayin both took their respective fighting stances, which were almost too similar to each other. Kayin made a thumbs-up to Eiji with his free hand. "May the best swordsman win."     "Bout One!! FIGHT!!"

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_     "So, um..." Eiji tried to think of what to say to the boy who stood in front of him in the dojo, duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Taller, more built, sixteen, blond with cold aqua eyes, Eiji wondered if his niisan was right, if there actually WERE any similarities between the two of them. 
_This's just his appearance, anyway,_ Eiji reminded himself. "So you're Kayin Amoh?"     "Yeah." The answer was brusque, slurred with a heavy Scottish accent. "You're Eiji?"     "Hai--uh, yeah." He grinned apologetically. "Sorry, I forgot, niisan said I shouldn't speak too much Japanese."     "S'okay." Kayin sized up Eiji's appearance. "Nice hair, kid."     Eiji bristled. "What's wrong with my hair? And I'm not a kid, I'm fifteen!"     Kayin was obviously waiting for this. "Well, looks like you could probably impale someone on it. And I'm older than you, so you better respect me."     Eiji glared at him, narrowing his eyes. "Niisan said we should treat each other like equals."     "Yeah, and I suppose you always do what big brother says, don't you?" Kayin shook his head in pity, probably for himself. "Jesus. I was sent here to train with a wuss. Why didn't Dad just train me instead...?"     Eiji got right into Kayin's face, holding up a fist. "You want to fight about this, bakayaro?"     "Bring it on, Spikes." Kayin stepped back into a empty-handed fighting stance. "You'll live to regret it though."     "Aa, sou ka? Well, I'll be sure to kick your ass twice as hard for that!" Eiji took up a defensive stance, both of them ready and waiting for the first move.     Which neither of them made.     "What are you two DOING?!?"     "Aaaaaargh!" Both boys jumped about a foot in the air from their concentration being broken so abruptly. Kayin whirled around, trying to find the speaker. "What in bloody hell do you think you're doing, you--" Then he saw Sho standing in the doorway. "--oops."     Sho looked like a cross between amused and not happy. "It appears I'm stopping you two from killing each other before the training ever starts."     "Niisan, kare ga-" Eiji started to protest, but Sho cut him off.     "Eiji, I don't want to hear any childish insults from you."     Kayin grinned triumphantly. "Ha ha, see what-"     "...Or from you, Kayin."     "Hmph." Kayin, defeated, sat down on the mat. "So I'm supposing you're our sensei. Sho, right? Dad talked about you a lot."     "I am. And I'll always believe I'm still in debt to your father for training me."     "Ah, `twas his decision." Kayin flicked a few pieces of strawberry-blond hair out of his face. "I still don't see why I couldn't have just stayed in Scotland and trained with my father."     Sho smiled. "It was his request, and a favour from myself to him. Don't worry, you'll both find this training...adequate."     From the sound in his voice on the last word, for the first time ever, Eiji and Kayin exchanged worried looks. Kayin moaned.     "Damn, isn't this going to be a jolly old time...?"
_

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    As soon as the fight began, Eiji shot forward and immediately used his Shugekidan foot-slide to knock Kayin to the ground. Kayin quickly recovered, springing back to his feet and, shouting "Sonic Slash!", tossed a large fireball from his sword at Eiji, who rolled out of the way but got clipped in the side in the process. Eiji then took advantage of the fact that Kayin had left himself open and attacked with his spinning uppercut move, the Hishouzan. But Kayin sidestepped quickly and he missed, and Kayin then counterattacked with his own spinning uppercut, Deadly Rays, knocking Eiji out of the air. Eiji landed on his stomach, but quickly got up again.     "Not bad," he muttered. "Here's my newest move: Mukurowari!!" Almost unexpectedly (at least to Kayin, since Eiji had taught himself this move), he flipped through the air before bringing his sword down on Kayin's shoulder. As Kayin was getting up, he heard Eiji shout "Rekkuzan!", and as he turned to face Eiji he found himself on the receiving end of a fireball in the face with no time to block. Staggering back, he replied, "Not bad, yourself. I've got a couple of new attacks up my sleeve, too."     With that, Kayin swept his sword downwards and then slashed it upwards. Eiji, however, had time to block this attack. He lashed out to Kayin's shoulder followed by a hard kick in Kayin's stomach, and while he was still reeling from that, Eiji finished off his combo with another quick Hishouzan. Kayin landed on his back a couple feet away, and as he got to his feet again he found Eiji charging towards him, orange ki rippling off his body.     "JIGOKUMON!!" Eiji launched Kayin into the air with numerous sword slashes that carried them both upwards. Eiji let up after about half a dozen hits or so, and the two dropped back to the ground. Kayin managed to recover and very quickly leapt into the air to land closer to Eiji. He landed on his feet, but suddenly realized he had overshot his target and landed in front of Eiji with his back to him. Kayin started to turn around, but he was already too late. Eiji hit him the back with another biting slash from his katana, knocking Kayin forward. He staggered for a few seconds and then crumpled to the arena floor. He remained down long enough for Eiji to be declared the winner of the first bout. As soon as that was announced, Eiji rushed over to where Kayin lay and helped his friend up.     "You okay?" he asked.     "Yeah, I'm fine," Kayin answered. "You can bet you're not gonna be that lucky in the second round, though."     And he grinned.

***************

_     "HAH!"     "Itaiii!!" Eiji hit the mat, almost losing his grip on the bokken he was attempting to defend with. However, Kayin had managed to slip past his defences and knock his feet out from under him with his identical bokken. Kayin was laughing; Eiji was moaning and rubbing the back of his legs.     "Mou, Kayin! What'd you have to do that for?"     "You weren't guarding low enough, or watching your back either," Kayin answered back, still snickering, before turning to a corner of the dojo and the man supervising them. "Na, Sensei?"     "Kayin's right, Eiji," Sho said simply, regarding his little brother, sprawled out on the tatami. "You should have seen him dodging behind you. You have to keep your eyes open, and be aware of where your opponent is at all times."     Eiji got up slowly, nodding. "Hai, niisan." He turned back to Kayin, brandishing his bokken again with a cocky smile. "So then, Kayin-chan, kakatte koi!"     "I hate it when you call me that..!" Kayin yelled jokingly and flew in with a lunge to the midsection, which Eiji parried and attempted to nail his training partner with a roundhouse kick. The practice continued on, under the watchful eyes of Sho.     
_So, it looks like they are almost ready for what's ahead of them. Hm, Eiji is nearly seventeen, and Kayin almost eighteen...it looks as if destiny has a turn coming for us all._ Sho pulled out a slip of white paper that he had received in secret quite a many years ago, his sole reason for deciding to train Eiji and Kayin. A letter. More specifically, a note of warning.     
_And you, Cupido...? Who are you and why would you risk everything to tell me what you did...?_ Shaking his head, he recalled the lines of the note without even having to consult the actual words.     
_'...And the legend spoke of a stranger...'_     "Dammit, Eiji, at least let me get up before you beat the crap out of me!"     
_'...The most sacred battle that the legend fortells is about to begin, of the Shitennou, the rivalry between Jikoku and Komoku for possession of the Earth, with Zocho paired with Jikoku and Tamon with Komoku...in a sudden decision, Tamon enlisted the aid of a stranger in order to hinder the battle which would surely destroy them all, in expectance that the next generation of the Toshinden's warriors would be able to stop the battle themselves...'_     "You're the only opponent I'll hit when down, Kayin-chan!"     
_'...Together, allied, after Tamon rebelled against Komoku and broke the spell Jikoku put over the stranger, they two became the angels of the legend's past and current generations...blood-eyed and blood-red...'_     "Jesus Christ, I'm bleeding here!"     "Ha, NOW who didn't defend properly?"     "Eiji, I'm gonna kill you."     
_'...Fate has become disrupted by the rivalry, the strings of it becoming entangled in corruption. And the plots against this generation of warriors of the legend have already begun. Abandon your identity as your own clan's successor and follow your written destiny in the legend, attend the Toshindaibukai, but rebel against Jikoku's plans to take control of you and make you the prized warrior, before all fates become one...'_     "And here I thought you Scots were supposed to be tough. Then again, I guess you would have to be, to wear those kilts in public!"     "Oh, you asked for it, you little bastard--"     "YEOWWWWWW!!!"     
_'You have more of a destiny than you could ever imagine. Your destiny is foreordained, that is true, but you will always have a choice. Choose to continue your life as you always have, giving up your position in the legend, or choose to follow your preguided path into the heart of your legendary fate. Choose wisely, stranger, lest this world and the inhabitants be condemned by your decision.'_ Impulsively, Sho looked up to see Kayin nearly throttling Eiji with pleasure. Shaking his head, he fell back into his own thoughts.     
_If that's true, if it's ALL true, what this 'Cupido' says about how I will go to the Toshindaibukai where they will try to take control of me, and what the Shitennou's warriors said to my father a long time ago about my own destiny, then it must all be true, and I suppose I have no other choice._ Sho watched the quickness of the two teenagers, darting around each other and attempting to get the best of their opponent. He himself glanced down at the Byakko no Tachi, sheathed at his side. _The sword of the clan is only given to one...only one...it would only make things worse for all of us if I took it and obtained its magical power before I am "taken over" - or whatever this 'Jikoku' plans to do with me. If Cupido is right about my part in the legend, then I can't be the clan inheritant, as it seems I have a bigger purpose...God help me, Otousan, but I can only take one path. If I give this up, Eiji will have to be the successor...can he accept the responsibility that only I was supposed to take...? _     "Damn, you suck, Kayin-chan, you missed me again!"     "Well, I'll be sure not to next time!"     
_Eiji, Kayin, what's to become of you...?

***************

    "Bout Two!! FIGHT!!"     Kayin ran forward and dealt Eiji a scrape across the chest before kicking him in the stomach. The force of it left Eiji slightly winded, but he still managed to pull of a quick recovery. He jumped into the air and dove at Kayin with an aerial flame-throwing kick. "RyuseiKYAKU!!" Kayin, with an anticipated grin on his face, saw this coming and was ready for it. He launched into his Shoulder Crush, raising one leg almost vertically and then bringing it down on Eiji's outstretched leg as he closed in on Kayin. With his attack cut short, Eiji landed rather gracelessly on the ground. Getting up again, he tried to catch Kayin off guard with another Rekkuzan, but this didn't work either. Kayin cancelled out the fireball quite nicely with a Sonic Slash. Finally, Eiji was able to grab Kayin, throw him over his shoulder to the ground to the ground, slash him before he could get up, and finish by hitting him with another Hishouzan. After a few seconds Kayin rolled to his feet again, and Eiji received a sharp kick to the side of his head. He attempted another Mukurowari, which hit, but so did Kayin's Deadly Rays. At this point Eiji decided to wear Kayin down with some kicks and slashes. It worked for a few seconds, but then Kayin landed another inwards/upwards slash.     As Kayin was thrown on his back again and this time hit with a sweep kick, Kayin realized he suddenly stood a good chance of losing this bout, and the match. Both Eiji and Kayin were showing signs of exhustion. A strong hit from either could determine the winner.     Just then, Eiji pooled what was left of his ki and came charging towards Kayin again, sword outstretched, the same orange flames resonating off his body. _That move again,_ Kayin thought. This time he rolled out the way, and the attack missed, at the same time giving him an unprotected shot at Eiji's back.     Kayin knew he only had one chance to pull this off, and if it missed, he had lost. But he decided to try anyway, focusing all the energy he had left, and then leapt into action.     "Hell's Inferno!"     Kayin assulted Eiji's body with a series of lightning-fast kicks and punches, along with a Shoulder Crush and a Deadly Rays thrown in. It worked like a charm. With a loud cry of pain, Eiji was flung backwards and lay flat on his back on the arena floor. Kayin was declared winner of Bout Two. Now it was Eiji's turn to be helped up.

***************

    "They're both very good fighters," Master remarked. She and Vermilion stood watching the match from the office of the Himitsu Kessha headquarters. "This match could go either way."     "I've seen enough to know those two pose the biggest threat to both of our organizations," Vermilion said. "They need to be eliminated immediately."     "I agree, this match has gone on long enough." Her cold eyes glimmered. "Put phase two of our plan into action."     Vermilion nodded. "The sooner they and their three friends are dealt with, the better."     Outside the office, Tracy and Sofia, who had managed to find their way in using a great deal of stealth (and Sofia's skill of hacking into combination codes), were listening intently to this conversation. Having heard enough, they exchanged glances without saying a word, then turned and slowly crept back towards the exit. Vermilion noticed them out of the corner of his eye, and started to go after them.     "Don't bother." Master didn't even take her eyes off the screen that was broadcasting the match. "They will get what's coming to them, in due time."     Sofia and Tracy headed out of the building with no problems and began to dash towards the arena.     "Looks like we have a winner," Tracy muttered.     "We had better tell Eiji and Kayin right away," Sofia replied.     Tracy snorted. "If they haven't killed each other by now."

***************

_     "So you're leaving now?"     Kayin, now a young man at nineteen, shifted slightly under the weight of his bags. "Yeah, I guess. The train's coming in any minute, then I'm going straight to Narita Airport to catch a flight back to Scotland. It's been so long since I've seen my father, and my home..."     Eiji, at eighteen, didn't know what it was like to be away from home, but he nodded understandingly anyway. "Well, it'll be good for you to get back, anyway, Kayin-chan...you've probably missed it all."     Kayin nodded. The two were standing in the middle of a busy train station in a town near Aizu, with people bustling all around them and calls for train times sounding out every now and then. Kayin took in a breath and blew his bangs out of his face. "So isn't Sho coming?"     Eiji shook his head. "No...he said he had some more important things to take care of, and that I should wish you well."     Kayin looked away. "Figures. He's been acting really weird lately, you know? And I'm still curious as to why we were trained over such a short period of time. It usually takes the masters at least eight years."     "Maybe we were just really good...?"     "Yeah, sure, we'd like to think that, but it's still odd..."     Eiji grinned cockily. "But come on, there's still no doubt now that both of us can hold our own in a fight!"     "I guess so." Kayin made a victory sign, but quickly lapsed back into thought. "But about Sho...he's not leaving to go anywhere, is he?"     "I sure hope not." Eiji laughed, but it sounded nervous, even to him. He, too, felt a bit uneasy. He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Well, I guess you'd better catch your train."     "Yeah, doubt hitchiking back to Scotland would be much fun." Kayin hoisted his bags up onto his broad shoulders, and for a moment, the two stood in awkward silence, neither of them knowing where to start. Finally, Eiji held out a hand. "Friends?"     "Always." They shook on it. Kayin turned and headed down to the platform, waving over his shoulder. "I'll see you again, Eiji-chan, you can bet on that! It's not going to be forever!"     Eiji waved back, and continued to, even once his best friend had disappeared into the crowd. "It's not forever, my friend," he whispered sadly. "It never is. We'll meet again, somewhere, someday." He turned to leave the gare, but stopped for a second, recalling Kayin's words.     
_'He's not leaving to go anywhere, is he?'     Is he...?_     The words from so long ago came back to him as well.     
_'I have you, right, niisan?'     'I...I suppose so.'     You "suppose" so?     Suppose?     Oh, God, no..._     "Niisan!!"     Eiji shot back to Aizu as fast as his motorcycle would take him, skidding to a halt in front of the Shinjo house. He thrust open the screen door, and dashed into the house, calling "Niisan!!"     No answer. No one there at all.     A glimmer from an object winked at Eiji in a shaft of noonday sunlight. Eiji slowly approached it, lying on the kitchen table. It was the Byakko no Tachi, the clan's sacred sword that Eiji's brother had always carried with him. And pinned underneath it, a piece of paper, ruffling in a breeze from the open kitchen window, with characters inked in his brother's familiar Japanese hand.

    

_Eiji,     Don't follow me. It won't work. You will not find me. Wait for me to find you. You keep the sword, and you're on your own now. I know you will be all right, if you remember what I've taught you.     Go in search of your destiny. I'm close to mine. You must find yours. Even though it may come to you instead.     Until next time...

_     Another glint of white paper came from the floor below, probably having been blown off the table by a gust of wind, as Eiji bent down to pick it up and examine it. He sucked in a breath.     It was an invitation in his brother's name.     To the Toshindaibukai.

    And so, on that one unforgettable day, all of what the legend decreed had begun its course...

_

***************

    Back at the arena, Eiji and Kayin had both had time to get a second wind, and were ready for Bout Three, the tiebreaker.     "If I didn't know any better, Kayin," Eiji said mockingly as the two faced each other, "I'd swear you were enjoying yourself."     "Hey, you don't exactly look like you're not having any fun either, Eiji," Kayin replied, cocking an eyebrow and readying for the next bout.     "Bout Three!! FIGHT!!"     Eiji jumped into the fight by launching another Rekkuzan. He had become so good at it over the years, and performed it so many times, that he could do it almost instantly, instead of having to pause to gather enough ki. However, Kayin blocked it and stood his ground. Eiji then leapt throught the air to get in closer -- only to come down into one of Kayin's Sonic Slashes. After that Eiji managed to deliver a fierce kick and a sword slash to Kayin's side, knocking him back slightly. Kayin recovered and responded with another gliding slash followed by a kick of his own that nailed Eiji in the chest. Eiji got up quickly and knocked Kayin backward with a Hishouzan. For the moment the bout seemed to be even, with most of the audience on the edge of their seats to see who would win, Ellis especially.     And that's when he showed up.     The clock timing the match suddenly stopped ticking down, and the announcer shouted, "Here comes a new challenger!!"     "Nani yo?" Eiji said, confused.     "Hey, what the hell's going on?" Kayin yelled in demand. "The tournament rules say no one can interfere during a match!"     "Well, as I make the rules, I can also break them."     Eiji and Kayin spun around. Standing not three feet behind them was a very tall and gangly man. He was dressed almost entirely in black, covered by a long, shredded trenchcoat. The colour almost seemed to contrast with his bright orange, stringy hair. In one hand he held a golden pistol, in the other, a golden shotgun. His face was covered with strange crimson markings that were only partially visible behind his tinted glasses. The man offered a long bow before speaking in a raspy voice.     "Allow me to provide an introduction. I am Vermilion. I was watching your fight and was quite interested in what I saw. I just had to meet you in person."     "You said, 'you make the rules'," Eiji said. "Does that mean you're the new organizer of this tournament?"     Vermilion smiled. "Fine deductive skills, boy. As good as your fighting skills."     "You're from the Himitsu Kessha, aren't you?" Kayin demanded, tightening his grip on his sword.     "Let's just say I have a 'partnership' with them." Vermilion spotted the readied sword out of the corner of his eye. "I wouldn't try it, kid. You don't quite know who you're dealing with yet."     At this point, Ellis, who had been watching all this from the stands, decided that she wasn't going to just be a spectator for this confrontation and leapt into the arena with the others, wearing her fighting costume and holding her Dirks out and ready. Eiji nodded at her, getting ready to fight again, but Kayin, however, didn't notice any of this. He was too focused on what Vermilion had just said.     "You bastard!!" he snarled. "What have you done with Naru?"     "Naru?" Vermilion asked in mock confusion. Then he seemed to remember, or at least, he pretended to. "Ah, yes, the little brat. Master, if you please?" With these words, a young girl appeared next to him. She didn't look much older (or younger) than Ellis, with light-blue hair and cold eyes. She wore a golden crown with a red jewel in the center, a mauve and white jumpsuit and yellow shoes. In her arms she was holding a little girl about six or seven years old, wearing a bright pink dress and little matching shoes. Her short blond hair was done up in pigtails, and her big blue eyes were wide with fear.     "Naru!" Kayin shouted.     "Otousan!" Naru cried. She tried to run to him, struggling to get out of the grip that the Himitsu Kessha ruler had on her, but Master held her tightly. "Otousan, help me!"     "As you can see, she's just fine," Vermilion went on. "Though I can't guarantee for how much longer."     It took the combined restraining efforts of Eiji and Ellis to keep Kayin from going for Vermilion's throat.     "If you want your little girl back safely," Master spoke for the first time, in a sinister voice that was oddly remeniscent of Uranus's, "you'll just have to come and get her. You know where to find us. We'll be waiting at our headquarters." With that, before anyone could stop them, she and Vermilion teleported out, taking Naru with them. Kayin pounded his fist against the arena floor. "DAMMIT!!"     "'You know where to find us'?" Ellis wondered. "What's that supposed to mean?"     "Hey, you guys!"     The three turned around just in time to see Sofia and Tracy climb into the ring and come running over to them.     "We found an entrance to the Himitsu Kessha's headquarters," Tracy cried breathlessly. Then, noticing the looks the on the others' faces, particularly Kayin's, she asked, "S'wrong? Did something happen?"     "No time," Eiji replied. "You said you found their headquarters? Then lead the way. We'll explain on the way there."     They started to leave together, but before they could, the same gravelly voice rang out.     "Oh no, I don't think you will."     The five turned in unison to see Vermilion re-appear on the arena platform. He was smiling cruelly, fixing a stare on Eiji. "I remembered that there's someone I know who'd like to see you, Eiji Shinjo. Or more like see you _again_. Why don't you come with me--"     "The hell do you mean-?" But before Eiji could get the rest out, Vermilion had turned and disappeared, and before Eiji could realize it or do anything about it, so did he.     "Eiji-kun!!" Ellis screamed and tried to stop him, but Eiji could only turn around and started to yell "ELLIS-CHA--" before he disappeared. Teleported.     Ellis stood there, hand still extended, eyes wide with fright. She whimpered a little before falling to her knees. "Son'na..."     The rest stood in rapt silence, none of them able to believe their eyes. Kayin took a deep breath. "What are they going to do--?"     Ellis couldn't stop herself. "Eiji-kun...EIJI-KUUUUUUNNNNN!!"

**********


	11. Chapter Ten: Betrayal

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER TEN: Betrayal**   
  
**Translations:**     _dare da?_ - who is it?     _nani?!_ - what?!     _shimatta!_ - dammit!     _baka_ - idiot     _nani_ - what     _omae_ - you     _iya_ - no     _shinjirarenai_ - I can't believe it     _onore_ - damn you     _wakarimasen ka?_ - don't you understand?     _damare!_ - shut up!     _asobi wa owatta_ - this game's over     _hou_ - yes, sir   
  
  


***************

  
    _Well, well, what have we here._     For Eiji, every word sounded like a hammer pounded against his skull. Opening his eyes wearily, he found himself lying stomach-down on a cold, hard floor in what seemed to be a cell of some sort. It was dark, and the only light was an annoyingly bright source coming from behind the barred door. After adjusting his eyesight, Eiji saw that there was a tall, lithe woman silhoetted behind the bars, on the outside, the light streaming behind her and making it near to impossible for Eiji to see who she was. He moaned a bit as he attempted to get up, but failed. "dare...da?"     _You know who I am._     In a flash, something clicked in Eiji's head. The echoeing, quiet voice...the tall figure...the way she stood, straight and proud... "Cupido?"     She seemed to smile. _So you do remember. I'm flattered._     Eiji struggled for a second before finally making it to his knees, with the shafts of light striped by darkness shining down on him. "Damn...where am I?"     Cupido cocked her head to the side. _What do you last remember?_     "Last...remember?" Eiji thought for a moment, scratching his head. "Oh yeah...that guy, Vermilion or whatever, zapped me out and I landed here, fell unconscious..."     _He 'zapped you out', as you so eloquently put it, adventurer, to here, the Himitsu Kessha headquarters building on the tournament property._     This answer was far from what Eiji had expected. "NANI?! You mean I'm actually in the building?? But--"     _Why do you think you are here?_ When he failed to respond, Cupido shook her head and continued. _Rather, why did you come here in the first place? You had a reason._     Eiji hung his head, looking downwards at the Byakko no Tachi in its sheath, frowning. "It was something personal."     _A vengeance against the Shitennou?_     "...." He didn't look at her.     Cupido's interest was piqued; or at least, that's how it appeared to be. _Why haven't you got over it, after all this time?_     Eiji turned his back on her, and the light, staring blankly into the darkness. "Why should I?? It was my--our original mission."     _But he gave it up. You have yet to._     "And I'm not going to!" Eiji yelled, whirling around and glaring at her. "I WILL avenge my parents' death, and I'm going to find out why niisan gave up on me and left!!"     Cupido seemingly didn't react at all to this outburst. _So you're looking for your answers as well._     Eiji shook his head, looking away. "I just want to know the truth--about everything that happened, and nothing was explained...I felt like I was supposed to know, to understand why it had all happened, but I didn't and I was just a confused kid...niisan knew though, I was sure of it, and even after all those years he never told me, so when he left I knew I had to find him so I could know why..."     His correspondant sighed in pity. _That is one of the nature of mortals, to live unsatisfied until you have the answers to your questions...then I suppose I shall have to help you again. Though you were never supposed to be what you are now. Not a mistake, but..._     "What do you mean, I'm not supposed to be what I am?" Eiji snapped, before throwing up his hands in frustration. "Shimatta! See? That's what I mean. There's so much I don't know, about niisan, my power, the Shitennou, our past--"     Cupido responded with silence again, before turning to the side and pointed her halberd blade outwards, towards the light. _Out there you will find your answers, lying with the only one who can tell you them. Seek that one out, young Shinjo, if you have the courage to face the truth._     Eiji growled, quickly standing up despite the pain. "Why do you keep telling me riddles? Cupido, I want to know the truth about what's been going on, and what part I play in all this!"     _If that is your wish, then so shall it be._ With that, she turned and walked into light, quickly disappearing from Eiji's view.     "Cupido, wait!!" Eiji yelled, reaching out to her before the light shut off and the very world he was in shifted and dissolved...

    Eiji opened his eyes.     He was still in the cell, except the light was gone, replaced by a dimly-lit hallway, and the bars were gone as well. It was a free exit. However, Eiji wasn't quite ready to comprehend this.     Sitting up, he rubbed his head wearily and gazed up at the door. "Was it...a dream? But it was so real, and--" Realizing that arguing with himself wasn't going to do any good, he stood up and clenched a determined fist.     "I don't know what any of her bullshit meant, but..." Eiji headed out the open door and into the corridor. "I'm outta here!"

***************

    "Dammit, do we even know where we're GOING??" Kayin grumbled as he, Ellis, Sofia and Tracy made their way cautiously down the corridor. It was only after they snuck into the Himitsu Kessha building about an hour earlier that they realized that the place was more like a labyrinth on the inside. Of course, they were lost, and no one was very happy about it. Tracy stopped for a moment, checking the knives that were hidden in the soles of her boots. "We'll find `em sooner or later, and Eiji too. Don't give it up, guys."     "It is too odd..." Sofia murmured. "There has been no resistance..."     "You'd think they'd know we were here, even though we didn't make an entrance," commented Ellis quietly. "You think it's a trap."     "Good guess, girl." Tracy blew some of her dark-blue bangs out of her face. "Wouldn't be surprised if that was the case...I've seen it happen before, too many times. These badasses ain't stupid."     "Besides," Sofia began, "it may not just be us, but the world could be in danger again--"     Kayin's fist abruptly slammed into the hard metal wall, causing most of the girls to jump in surprise.     "Did any of us ask for the job of saving the world? Did _I_ ask for it?" Kayin scowled, looking downwards. " All I wanted to do last year was find my father's killer. And guess what, I did. And you know what? It was all a waste. Just a fucking waste."     "Kayin..." Ellis started towards him, but Kayin turned away.     "I wanted to give it up. It was too much for me last time, me, who's gone through my whole life only looking out for myself. But now they've got my daughter, the only thing in the world I care about, all I have left...just to make sure I'd turn back to the only thing that used to matter to me: fighting." He stopped himself, closing his eyes and sighing, before continuing. "So I did. I've tried to be the hero. But I always wanted to just leave the hero bit to Eiji, who's damn well suited to it. Me?" He shook his head, leaning on the wall. "Who was I to play that part?"     He looked over at the three of them, his normally cold aqua eyes filled with pain. "You want to know the truth? I'm no hero. Not after everything I did. None of us are heroes, just people who were thrown into a bullshit situation with a responsibility that no one else wanted to take. And you know what? Screw this. Screw this whole world and everyone in it." Kayin turned away and set off down the hallway, not waiting for the others. "I'm not going to be a standing target here. I'm going to find Naru and get back to my life."

***************

    "This is ridiculous," Eiji muttered as he crept along the dark corridor, trying hard to keep to the shadows. "She must have been lying, I don't see an exit around here anywhere..."     _Baka,_ he reminded himself, _she didn't exactly _say_ that there was an exit out here, just that I'd find my answers--_     Suddenly, there was sound of footsteps approaching from around corner behind him. Eiji sucked in his breath and hid in the opposite corner of the hallway, gripping his katana tightly. He was ready to fight, if he had to.     But, catching a glimpse of the figure he saw passing, he could only gape in shock.     The same purple scarf, red shirt, leggings and knee-high boots. The same auburn hair, only a shade lighter than Eiji's own, and worn down, trailing down his back. Same height, complexion, and eyes...the same red eyes as Eiji's, the same ones he knew so well...     A smiling face filled his mind, a figure from the past. _"Eiji, I know you have a lot of questions now, but I promise, they'll all be answered in time."_     _Yeah, and you never did keep your promises..._     Eiji ducked back behind the corner quickly, breathing hard and still clutching the sword. He raised it to eye level, and saw that his hand was shaking.     _It's now or never._     Without thinking, his mind blank, Eiji lept out into the light of the corridor, in plain view of the figure in front of him. "Niisan!"     The man stiffened in place at the sound of Eiji's voice, then slumped slightly as if he was ashamed of what he was about to do. He turned around, facing Eiji, their mutual resemblances reflected in each other's faces. His eyes were filled with more pain than Eiji had ever seen. "Eiji..."     Eiji could only stare in bewilderment at his older brother. "Niisan, nani--" He cut himself off sharply.     It was the look his brother had shifted to.     Sho's eyes were fairly flashing darkness, and he had replaced the sadder, weaker appearance with a cold look of almost...evil?     Eiji took a cautious step back. "Niisan, why..." Before he could say anything else, a group of dark-clothed, gun-carrying soldiers came running up behind Sho.     "Sho-sama!" the supposed leader of the brigade exclaimed suddenly, bringing his group to a halt and dropping in a bow to the higher warrior, who hardly acknowledged his presence at all. "He's escaped, and we've searched for an hour but haven't found any trace of--him?!?" The lead soldier spotted a still-dumbfounded Eiji, who's eyes were still fixed on Sho.     "Shall we kill him now?" The henchmen readied their guns to take Eiji down.     "No."     Eiji almost sighed in relief. "Niisan, omae--"     "He's not to be killed just yet. Master-sama's orders." Sho locked red eyes with his little brother, smiling cruelly. "Go on, take this pathetic excuse for a disciple away. And don't be afraid to hurt him a bit, for all the trouble him and his little friends have caused us."     Eiji was so devastated by these seemingly nonchalent remarks, he could barely move from the spot. Once the group shifted towards him, he took a wary step back, then turned and broke into a run. Eiji closed his eyes, pushing back bitter tears as he ran, hearing his brother's voice hollering "Catch him, you fools!" echoeing behind him.     _Iya..._ Eiji shook his head in disbelief. _Shinjirarenai--_     Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground by the mob of henchmen behind him, and a number of savage blows from the butts of the guns rained down on him, rendering him unable to get up or fight back. Once Eiji was weakened by the hits, his hands were restrained behind him and he was hauled to his feet. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes painfully was his smirking brother.     Sho stepped up to his little brother, and grabbed a handful of his spiky hair, yanking his head back violently. Sho cocked an eyebrow.     "So, _little brother_..." He said the words in a mocking tone. "A bit surprised, aren't you? Well, you shouldn't be. It's been an enjoyable little game you've led us on, trying to play the hero and finishing our first "mission", but eventually, the hunter becomes the hunted, and then all you can do is _run_." He lowered his voice. "I'll let you in on a little secret. Everything I told you about your destiny, that you are destined to be someone great someday..."     "Don't say it, niisan," Eiji whispered, like a child who wished to be shown mercy. "_Please..._"     Sho grinned maniacally. "It was all a lie."     Eiji bit his lower lip in pain, then glared in fury at his elder brother. He managed to turn his head to the side slightly and spat out a mouthful of blood. He cast flaming red eyes on Sho, in a dark, frightening look that rivalled Sho's own. "Onore..."     "Hmph." Sho snickered. "Insults aren't going to save your worthless life. I thought I trained you better than that."     "How dare you...how COULD you..." Eiji's eyes filled with sadness. "Wakarimasen ka, niisan? Haven't you figured it out yet? They--they are the ones who killed otousan and okaasan."     Sho quickly wrenched Eiji's head back even farther. "Don't you EVER bring that up again, or I will be forced to severely hurt you."     Ignoring this, Eiji continued, his voice choked. "But you know it's true, don't you, niisan? You're working for the ones who ruined our lives...both of ours. Onore..." He grit his teeth even harder. "You see what you're doing? Destroying more innocent peoples' lives. What about our first mission, to avenge our parents' murder and do the same to those responsible? The Shitennou? What happened to you, to make you turn against everything we believed in?"     "Damare!" Sho threw Eiji to hard floor below, with the younger having to keep from yelping out in pain. Eiji backed up against the wall, only to find a samurai katana blade at his throat.     "Never. Question. My. Actions." Each word was as forced and malicious as the last. Eiji could hear it in his brother's voice, and turned his head to the side.     "If otousan and okaasan here now, would you treat them the same way you're treating me now? What would you say to them? Che--" Eiji glared back up at his brother. "You probably wouldn't be able to face them, after disgracing our clan like you have. If you plan to kill me, niisan, at least let me say this: I may be the younger, and I wasn't supposed to be the clan inheritant anyway. But this whole damned mess was dumped on me. And now, who's the unworthy one?" He stood up shakily, inches from his brother's blade. "The Byakkotai, our ancestorage, the Shitennou...you know what? I was as destroyed as you were that day. And we were just goddamn children. But now you've blacked it all out, haven't you? Left it all behind when you sold your soul to the devil?"     "That's enough!" Sho's fist smashed into the side of Eiji's face, sending him spinning to the ground again. Eiji managed to whisper a final sentence.     "You never told me...my answer, niisan...you never...told...me..."     Once Eiji had fallen unconscious, Sho could only stare tight-lipped at his brother's still form.     "Asobi wa owatta..."     He shook his head, and snapped at the soldiers. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take him away, now!"     "Hou, Sho-sama." A small amount of the men lifted Eiji's limp body and dragged him away. The leader of the group observed this, and turned to Sho. "Dammit, your own brother--"     Sho shot him a vehemently dark look. "He doesn't mean anything to me. Now, go and set him up with his next little playmate, and I'll report to Master-sama that we have our little band of troublemakers right where we want them." 

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    "Kayin...? Kayin, wait up...!!" Ellis has been trying in vain to keep up with the blond man's long strides, with Sofia and Tracy right behind her, but it wasn't doing much good, as she had to take several steps for every one of his. The lights along the corridor were getting dimmer, and Ellis could barely see Kayin, save for his bright red jacket.     "Just go and leave me alone!" was the brusque answer. "I'm going to handle this myself!"     "Do not be a fool!" Sofia's sharp voice came from behind him. "You know you cannot possibly take them all on alone! We have to find both Eiji and your daughter, and then leave!"     Tracy nodded in agreement, keeping up the pace with the other girls. "Right...we can come back again and try to take these assholes down later, after we actually have some kinda plan in mind..."     "No. I'm settling this _now_, whether any of you are with me or not." Suddenly, there was a flash of silver, and Kayin yelped, leaping back a few steps and putting a gloved hand to his cheek. It came away covered in crimson blood. "--The hell are you?!" he swore at the figure hidden in the blackness.     Nothing but a series of high-pitched, childish giggles.     "Okay, you DON'T want to fuck with me now, so are you gonna answer me or am I gonna have to cut you open first??" Kayin drew Excalibur and charged forwards with an overhead slash, but was surprised when he heard the air break above him and a pair of feet kicked him sharply in the back, sending him off-balance and flying to the ground. Once Kayin struggled to his feet, eyes flashing black murder, he ended up staring in disbelief at the figure - a young girl - as everyone else was -- except Ellis, that is, who stared stonily at the girl in front of her.     A replica of herself.     Except different, darker than Ellis' own pink-and-white costume colour scheme. This Ellis instead was clothed all in black chiffon with a dark blue bow tied around her waist, same feathery skirt and sleeves as Ellis' new dancing costume. Her short brown hair slid around her face from a slight breeze down the hallway, and coldness glimmered in her blue eyes as she pulled a pair of Dirks out of the ribbon in the back, smirking all the while. The dark Ellis seemed to be oblivious to the other three, focusing on her "original" alone.     "Well." Her high voice, sounding exactly like Ellis' only with a more chill tone, echoed through the others' silence. "You've brought everyone here with you to play. How nice. However, my dear," here she tossed one of the daggers up into the air and caught it, before breaking into a perfect replica of Ellis's own fighting stance. "I'm interested only in defeating you and you alone. Then I'll take care of your friends."     "Who the hell do you think you--" Kayin was silenced from behind Dark Ellis as a sliver of silver light flashed past his face and into the wall that he was leaning against. Dark Ellis glared at him. "You have no part in this. None of you shall interfere." Here she also turned and looked pointedly at Sofia and Tracy, who exchanged looks before inching their hands towards their weapons.     "No, everyone. She's right. This is our fight."     Tracy glanced at a determined-looking Ellis and exclaimed, "Whaddiya mean? We're not going to let you take on her alone! She's one of those clones, right? So she's more powerful than you!"     Sofia nodded, clutching her whip. "We cannot go on without you, Ellis."     "Yes, you can and you will. All right?" Ellis looked at the other two women and smiled faintly. "Go on. I'll catch up. Go find Eiji, save Naru and take these bastards down. While I handle _this_ one."     Kayin stared at her for a moment, then back at her dark-clothed twin, before nodding in gratitude to Ellis. "Thanks. All right, no questions, let's just go."     "A-all right..." The two girls caught up with Kayin as he continued down the hallway. However, Dark Ellis didn't seem to care more or less, as she yanked her other Dirk from the wall and started circling around Ellis, smiling coldly. "So I guess I WILL be taking care of you...like my companion is taking care of your friend as we speak."     "Do you mean Eiji-kun??" Ellis whirled out her Dirks and got ready to fight. "Just what are all of you planning to do here?"     "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." In an instant, Dark Ellis took to the air, daggers flashing as she lunged towards Ellis...

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    "Owww..." Eiji groaned as he woke up, yet again, in another dark room. Glancing around and seeing that there was no visible door OR light source, for that matter, he rubbed the side of his face, still stinging from his brother's blow, and hung his head sadly. "Niisan..."     Someone laughed at him. A familiar voice...     "Dare da??" Eiji unsheathed the Byakko no Tachi and tried to scan the murky darkness for the other person in the room with him, but could see no visible figure. Whirling around when he heard the sound of movement, Eiji struck out at the blackness with his sword, but didn't hit anything. Instead, he was rewarded with a sharp roundhous kick to the back that caused him to fall forward onto his knees. The voice commented with a hiss.     "On your knees to the superior one...that's the way it should be..."     Eiji, on the floor, growled and raised his sword. "Who are you?!?"     All of a sudden, the lights came on from the high ceiling, revealing that they were in some sort of arena-like room. And Eiji could clearly see the smirking person who stood over him.     _Himself..._

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	12. Chapter Eleven: Blood

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER ELEVEN: Blood**   
  
**Translations:**     _hai_ - yes     _ikuzou_ - let's go     _saa, dou suru?_ - so, what are you going to do?     _itee_ - ouch     _ichi agari!_ - I'm number one!; one of Eiji's win quotes in TSD2     _minna_ - everyone   
  
  


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    "So, everything is prepared then?" Master was sitting on some sort of throne-like structure, set at the top of a small staircase. At the bottom, her two shadowy 'angels' were both down on one knee, bowing to her, while Vermilion absently stood off to the side near the edge of the grand room, polishing his shotgun with the sleeve of his trenchcoat and watching the group through his rose-coloured spectacles. Master drummed her fingers impatiently along the armrest of the throne. "It had better be. I'll not wait any longer to eliminate these pests."     "Hai, Master-sama," the one figure replied from her kneeling position, not looking up from the floor. "Both the clones are fighting Eiji Shinjo and Ellis as we speak." She cocked her head slightly towards her partner next to her. "And I must say that my compatriot had an...enjoyable time handling the Shinjo boy."     He said nothing, but Master looked slightly amused. "So you harbor no feelings towards that childish excuse for a warrior? How interesting. I suppose that fool Uranus knew what she was doing, though her ambitions didn't serve her well in the end." She leaned on her hand, closing her eyes and concentrating. "What will the future hold in store for Eiji Shinjo, if I don't destroy him first...? hmmm...ah. That one--he has a clouded future. In twelve years the results will be clear. And I should say that they please me VERY much. I will most assuredly be around to see them."     The one figure still said nothing, but almost seemed to frown slightly, maybe in confusion. Vermilion sighed. "Master, don't you have something better to do? Attending to our other guests, that is?"     Master opened her eyes and glared down at Vermilion. "You dare tell me what to do?? Such...confidence in Abel's minions. Well, I suppose I should go and take care of the other three." She got up from the chair, but hovered off the ground slightly instead of standing on it. Master smiled coldly at Vermilion, a mocking tone in her voice. "You may come watch, if you wish. But remember--once this threat is destroyed, our alliance is terminated. In that case, maybe you better go running back to your Abel-sama now." With a high-pitched laugh, Master disappeared, a shower of little ki-sparks hitting the ground and dissapating from the teleport. Vermilion scowled, turning his back and stalking out of the room. _I'll be watching, fool, watching as you die by my hand..._     The two warriors were the only ones left in the room then. They exchanged glances, then stood up and teleported out. They had work to do.

***************

    Ellis yelped and slid to the side as one of the flashing daggers narrowly missed her arm, but sliced off one of the chiffon petals on her sleeve. Dark Ellis growled slightly at her miss, and lashed out with a roundhouse kick to Ellis's side. Ellis blocked it, and the elbow that came after it, aimed for her stomach.     Dark Ellis held up one of her Dirks, displeased. "What's the matter, daughter of Gaia? Too cowardly to try and attack? You know, once you're out of the way, I can be his daughter and everyone will forget all about you..."     "I won't let you!!" Ellis dashed in, swinging back with one Dirk, but was met with an identical Lollipop from Dark Ellis, knocking her back again. She looked up to see her clone diving at her, daggers first, shouting "Arc Slash!". Ellis quickly cartwheeled out of the way, rolling to her feet right after and spinning around to face her opponent, just in time to dodge a kick aimed at her face. Dark Ellis came at her again, this time jumping up and somersaulting through the air around Ellis before landing behind her. Before she had a chance to turn around, Dark Ellis hit her again with two more slashes in the back, causing Ellis to stagger forwards and drop to her knees.     As she climbed to her feet once again, Ellis decided that she had to try a tactic she hadn't used yet, because it seemed her usual fighting style wasn't getting anywhere. She ran towards Dark Ellis, who braced herself for some kind of physical attack. But Ellis simply grabbed her, climbed over her, and jumped off. She used her back as a launching point, kicking in her sharply and pushing her to the floor. The fight, however, was far from over. Dark Ellis's recovery time was astonishing. She wasn't down for more than a few seconds, then she was standing again and facing Ellis, who was already breathing hard and getting tired quickly.     Dark Ellis couldn't help gloating. "I'm just getting warmed up, and you're practically exhausted. There's no way you can last much longer. Why don't you give up and let me kill you right now?"     "You may have got my moves," Ellis panted, "but you obviously didn't get my brains, if you think I'm honestly going to answer that."     "Hmph. It's your funeral."     Dark Ellis spun through the air and came in with every kick she knew. She didn't count on Ellis blocking every one. Furious at this, Dark Ellis tried a Soar Wind, but before she could Ellis knocked her down by sliding in at her knees and slashing at her ankles. This seemed tick her clone off even more. "Damn you! You're going to pay for that!"     Ellis only narrowed her eyes and prepared to take advantage of the mistakes her double was beginning to make from her anger. She struck Dark Ellis out of her Screw Dancing with a Soar Wind, and then hit her with a sweep kick as she was dropping out of the air. Dark Ellis rolled up into another Homing Swallow, but Ellis could see it coming clearly and uppercutted her back down. Finally Ellis decided that she'd have to finish this now, while she still had the apparent advantage.     "You're just a clone. You don't stand a chance against your original. So go tell your Master that they don't stand a chance!"     Her Dirks sparkling with ki, she flew at her clone and began the merciless attack of her Kiss Kiss Kiss. Over and over again she whacked her, until at last Dark Ellis could take no more and collapsed. But Ellis still had quite a bit of energy left over, so for good measure, as soon as Dark Ellis weakly stood up again, she somersaulted towards her in what looked like another Homing Swallow, except this time she shouted "IKUZOU!". After landing, she proceeded to deal another four hard-hitting slashes at her battered opponent, and thrust both shimmering Dirks out in front of her, calling "French KISS!". Dark Ellis collasped one final time, and after a few moments of her not moving, Ellis bent down and checked for a pulse. She found none. Exhaling sharply and sheathing her daggers, Ellis dashed down the hall that she had seen Kayin, Sofia and Tracy leave through. "Wait for me, guys! I'm coming!"

***************

    "So I'm supposin' we just knock?" Tracy muttered sarcastically as she looked up at the large double-doors that loomed before them, at the end of the hallway they had just taken. Sofia wound her bullwhip around her thin fingers as she glanced back down where they had come. "This is not too rational. We should back out and look for another way in than just barging through here."     "I s'pose you're right," Tracy reluctantly agreed. "Think we should, Kayin?"     Their male companion hadn't said anything up to this point, and neither of them had tried to force him. It was obvious Kayin wasn't in too good a mood, and, as Tracy had whispered to Sofia earlier, "that boy's SCARY when he's mad."     Kayin just glared at the doors, and in a sudden movement, pushed them open and started to walk into the blackness that was past them.     "H-hey! What'dya think you're--" Tracy started, seeing Kayin disappear into the darkness without a word. Sofia shook her head. "Hopeless. We will have to follow him."     "Fine by me!" She grinned hugely, gripping a tonfa with delight. "It's time to kick some ass!"     As the three wordlessly walked into the dark room, there was a large bang behind them. Tracy whirled around in surprise to see that the doors had slammed shut behind them. "Damn...it's a trap!"     As if on cue, a childlike laughter started echoeing through the room, high and eerie. The three all took a few paces back, weapons ready, unsure of what to expect. But when a single light beamed on, their eyes focused enough to see their surroundings: a large platform that was some sort of arena, by the looks of it, with nothing but darkness surrounding it and them. And the one light shone down on the source of the laughter, the small, azure-haired girl dressed in robes that they had seen earlier with Vermilion. Kayin was quick enough to recognize her.     "Bitch--" he swore, tightening his grip on the hilt of Excalibur. "Where's Naru? And don't give me any of that bullshit about-" He was sharply cut off as an invisible force pushed him back and slammed him hard against the doors. The wind knocked out of him for a brief second, Kayin slumped to the floor as Sofia and Tracy ran over to see if he was okay. And the girl just stood in the same spot, eyes closed, hand outstretched.     Tracy tensed, as if ready to attack the girl at any second. "Who - or what - the hell are you?"     The girl opened her cold blue eyes and raised one eyebrow. "I am the Master."     Kayin coughed. "What--you...you're the Master?!? But you're just a little girl."     The composed exterior of the Master evaporated quickly. "Silence, fool! I am more powerful than all of you, the leader of the Himitsu Kessha -- the Gerard Foundation!"     Kayin seemed to get a odd look in his eyes after she said that. "The Gerards...?"     "Ah, so you know?" Master smirked at him. "I recall you, bounty hunter, but only briefly. And since you appear to be the leader of this little band, I think I shall see what you're truly like." She closed her eyes, seemingly concentrating hard. Kayin raised his sword warily from his position on the ground, unsure of what she was trying to do. But instead, she began to talk.     "Now, you are quite the one...the Storm, Kayin Amoh...afraid of many things, but never showing it. Afraid of losing. Afraid of failure. But most of all--afraid of yourself." A small smile crossed her lips. "Now I remember you. Our wonderful assassin. How effective you were too." The smile grew wider, and more cruel. "What will your child think, when she finds out what you did? Your real reason for adopting her?"     "Kayin?" Sofia looked over at him, concerned. "What is she talking about--?"     Kayin stared at Master with empty eyes for a second, before covering them with his hand to avoid the strange looks from Tracy and Sofia. "Shut up...I didn't...didn't mean to...I was ignorant, had no idea...just _shut up_..."     Master smiled coldly, apparently pleased with his reaction. "Murderer. You are no better than the one you sought for vengeance."     "I said SHUT UP!!!" Kayin shot off the floor in a flash, swinging Excalibur at Master in rage. She, however, just stood there, looking completely calm. At the last second, right before Kayin would have cut right through her, Master blurred and disappeared. Kayin, seeing that his hit didn't land, whirled around in defense and slashed out again. But he sliced only air, and Master appeared in the air above him--floating.     "Kayin!" Sofia yelled in warning. "Watch out!!"     "Shit!" He looked up quickly, just in time to see Master drop down almost faster than any of them could see, brandishing a fistful of glowing energy. Unable to defend against the aerial attack, Kayin had no option but to take the full hit. He was slammed back into the ground. Master descended the rest of the way to the ground, eyes almost gleaming.     "What a man you are. Well--" She tossed her head here, looking away, "Deny it as you may, you're still a murderer."     "What'd ya mean, Kayin's a murderer?!" Tracy growled from behind him. "He couldn't have ever worked for you--right, Kay..." She trailed off slowly as she looked down at him. He was hanging his head, refusing to look at any of them. Sofia inhaled sharply. "Oh, Kayin..."     "That's right." Master turned away for a second, seemingly in thought. "We at the Gerard Foundation, many years ago, hired your wonderful Kayin Amoh to 'take care' of a particular traitorous scientist. We fed him lies about how he was an escaped convict, who was better off dead than alive. Kayin Amoh was so full of rage at that time over the death of his father, he gladly accepted, not knowing-" she fixed him with a cruel smile "that we were the villains all along, and he was innocent. Isn't that right, Kayin?" Still, he didn't move. "The scientist had a baby daughter, however, and after our hired bounty hunter killed him and found out that he had just murdered an innocent man, he didn't have the heart to abandon the child, I suppose. So he took her in as his own. And called her Naru, am I right?"     "What....?" The two women looked to Kayin for the answer, but he just sighed and looked upwards. His eyes were filled with sadness. "Yeah. It's all true. I'm not Naru's real father; I killed her father. Killed someone who was just trying to escape from their corruption. And you..." He rose slowly, clutching Excalibur so tightly his knuckles were white. "You and that fucking Gerard Foundation...told me all those lies...taking advantage of my pain from my father's death...and now, you've taken Naru away from me..." Kayin's voice reached a scream. "GIVE ME MY DAUGHTER BACK!!!"     But she only snickered in reaction to his outburst. "Well, if you feel THAT way about me, we might as well wait for a second before we begin the fight. It will be more interesting when the other two come." Her cold blue eyes glowed with excitement.     "Then you may all die together."

***************

    Eiji went sprawling back into the wall, gasping in pain as he slid back down it. Gritting his teeth in determination and using his sword as a prop, he shakily stood again, facing the identical copy of himself, who had hardly a scratch on him. The darker-clothed Eiji smirked, dropping his sword a little. "Pathetic. I'm ashamed to be a clone of you." He grinned wickedly, admiring the blood on his katana. "You don't stand a chance against me."     Eiji growled, taking up his fighting stance once again. "There isn't...enough room...for...two of us..."     "That can easily be rectified." With that, Dark Eiji bolted towards his original, thrusting his sword forward, which Eiji managed to narrowly avoid. But Dark Eiji wasn't easily discouraged, and he swiftly responded with a Rekkuzan, copying the original attack perfectly. Although Eiji just managed to bring his sword up in time to block the energy blast, the fireball was still strong enough to knock him over and back to the ground. His clone stood over him, smiling, tapping his katana against one boot.     "Saa, dou suru...? I could kill you right here and now, and take your place...I doubt anyone would even notice..."     "You're wrong." The words were quiet, tinged with anger. "My friends would know."     "Oh?" Dark Eiji cocked an eyebrow. "And what about that beloved brother of yours? I'd be willing to bet that he'd prefer me to you...especially judging by the way he just treated you a little while ago."     "Shut the hell up!" Eiji crouched down and slid towards his opponent, low at his ankles. "Shugekidan!!"     Unguarded, Dark Eiji stumbled backwards a bit, but countered with inhuman speed by trying to smash his sword over Eiji's head. Fortunately, Eiji saw this coming and was able to bring his sword up to block in time. The two clashed swords, neither one willing to give the other any chance. Although he had his sword up and was blocking the attack, Eiji could feel his arms tiring and Dark Eiji pushing down harder. He knew he couldn't count on Ellis for help; she had her own clone to deal with. Therefore, he had to something, fast! Suddenly Eiji pulled back, then immediately slid in with another Shugekidan. Dark Eiji wasn't prepared for this. Eiji's foot digging into him finally knocked him forward to the ground. However, he wasn't down for more than a few seconds.     "Good try," he said. "You caught me off guard that time. But you won't get the chance to again. Ryuseikyaku!!" He flipped backwards, up into the air, and dove at Eiji foot-first, with sheer inhuman speed so fast that Eiji could hardly see him. It was out of pure instinct that he rolled out of the way.     Eiji tried his Hishouzan but missed, his clone dodging it even faster than he could. There wasn't much he could do while dropping out of the air, and as he did, he was shocked to see Dark Eiji coming towards him, sword out in front, with the same ki flowing off him. Eiji quickly tried to block, but it was no use. He found himself being pounded with his own Jigokumon attack, his own upwards slashes that carried him back into the air and dropped him to the ground. Then, before he could even get up, Eiji found himself being grabbed, picked up and slammed into the floor behind Dark Eiji hard enough to dent it. Eiji struggled to his feet again, which was not an easy task. His clone was half-enraged and half-impressed to find his opponent still able to do this, and delivered half a dozen lightning-fast slashes, only two of which Eiji was able to block or dodge. As soon as Eiji lowered Dark Eiji struck again, this time with a Mukurowari, an overhead splitting slash. It missed, fortunately for Eiji, but unfortunately for him, the Hishouzan that followed it did not. As he landed on his back again, Eiji finally decided he'd had enough of being beaten. _I've got to beat this guy or I'm dead. I know all his moves, and I should be countering them instead of avoiding them. He's also relying on his strength too much. So that means..._     Dark Eiji stood over him and raised his sword over his head. Eiji could tell by the evil glint in his eye that he intended to bury it in his skull. The sword came down, but just in time, he pulled out his own sword in front of him. There was a loud clang as metal crashed off metal. Slowly, holding his sword out with one hand, Eiji got back up, grasped his sword with both hands and began forcing the other katana back towards its wielder. Dark Eiji was stunned. It had never occured to him that his "original" might be able to even match his strength, let alone overcome it. In a matter of seconds he found his sword pushed up against his own chest. Then Eiji reared back just long to thrust in the hardest kick Dark Eiji had ever experienced. Eiji pushed his foot into his clone's stomach as far as it would go. Dark Eiji fell over, clutching his stomach and gasping in laboured breaths that were hard to come.     "How..." he barely whispered, "how could you have managed that? I am superior to you. I'm stronger than you could ever be."     "Your speed and strength were genetically enhanced," Eiji said. "They didn't come from years of training and practicing. You've only only fought two people your whole life, yet you expect go up against fighters who have had years of experience in fighting and swordsplay. No one can ever become a superb fighter overnight."     Dark Eiji was already starting to stand, although this time it took him slightly longer than before. "You...won't beat me...that easily."     But Eiji was just getting warmed up. He did another Shugekidan to knock his clone off-balance, then a Mukuworari to send him down. He stood up again, but not before Eiji hit him with a foot sweep as he lay on the floor. Dark Eiji tried to attempt a flying slash, only to be knocked out of the air by Eiji's Hishouzan. And yet he got up again, determined not to lose. Eiji was amazed. _He's either really persistant or really stubborn._ He grinned involuntarily. _Then again, that's probably the one thing we have in common._     Dark Eiji, because of his increased strength, had almost no trouble summoning enough ki for another Jigokumon, despite all the hits he had just taken. This time, though, Eiji saw it coming and rolled to the side. As he passed him, Eiji brought his sword slicing across Dark Eiji's hand. He yelled in pain and dropped his sword, which went flying through the air and landed with a clatter several feet away     Now it was Eiji's turn to smile. Dark Eiji knew he was in serious trouble. Eiji's Rekkuzan slammed him into the nearby wall, and before he had chance to do anything (not that there was anything he could've done), Eiji was practically on top of him. He smiled one last time, this time it was a smile of obvious victory.     "Byakki-MOSHUKEN!!!!"     The barrage of kicks and slashes, all of them too fast to see, let alone block, were way too much for Dark Eiji. Finally, Eiji finished off with a Hishouzan, with knocked him to the ceiling. His clone fell to the ground and lay slumped against the wall. His chest did not rise again. Eiji couldn't help but flash a thumbs-up and say, "Ichi agari!" before leaving the arena room and charging off down the hallway, knowing that his friends were in serious trouble.

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    "Where ARE they already...??" Ellis muttered in annoyance, stalking down the hallway with daggers in hand, checking all the corridors to see where her friends may have gone. "I can't find anything around here--huh?" In front of her were a pair of huge stone double-doors, with some odd insignia imprinted on them. "Could they be in there...?"     **WHAM!**     "Kyaa!" Ellis fell rather hard on her backside, before flipping back up and pulling one Dirk back, ready to attack the person who lay on the ground after running right into her. "Who are you??"     "Itee..." The figure rubbed his head. "Ellis-chan, it's me!"     "Eiji-kun?" She lowered her Dirks, finally recognizing her friend in the dark. "Sorry, I didn't know..." She offered a hand to help him up, but then pulled it back suddenly. "Wait--how do I know you're not the clone?"     Eiji grinned up at her weakly. "Because I'm better-looking?"     Ellis stared at him blankly for a second, before laughing and helping him up. "No clone I know would say that."     "Thanks a lot." He glanced up at the doors. "Is this it?"     "I think so. But how are we supposed to get in--" Ellis cut herself off when, with a loud creak, the doors began to swing open for them. Eiji and Ellis stared into the darkness, trying to make out the people inside...and they saw a very bruised Kayin, Sofia, Tracy, and a pastel-robed little girl wearing a golden crown.     "Minna!" Eiji dashed into the room quickly, with no regard for anything else. Ellis followed behind him, looking both concerned and worried when the doors slammed shut behind them. Kayin grinned weakly.     "Where the hell were you guys? Those clones shouldn't have been THAT hard to take out."     Eiji and Ellis exchanged looks. The latter shook her head. "Anyways, Kayin, what happened to you?"     He motioned at the girl behind them, who had her eyes closed in rapt concentration. "The Master."     "Of the Himitsu Kessha?!" Eiji lept in front of them, brandishing the Hyakko no Tachi. "Isn't she going to fight us?"     "We are not quite sure of what she is doing..." Sofia murmured, walking up to them. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and a loud hum came up from around them. Tracy grimaced. "I think we're about to find out!"     Immediately, bright blue-flaming torches lit up all around the room they were in, showing that it was an arena platform that they were standing on. In the center of the arena, a large symbol, the same that was on the doors, glowed unearthly. But the most shocking of all was a giant bug-like creature that hovered in the air above the flames, waving its numerous wings and legs up and down.     "What the..."     "Welcome," the Master said, "to my arena." 

**********


	13. Chapter Twelve: Revolution

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**CHAPTER TWELVE: Revolution**   
  
**Translations:**     _otousan_ - father     _oi, ko-musume!_ - hey, little girl!     _baka_ - idiot     _shimatta_ - dammit!     _minna_ - everyone     _ganbatte_ - good luck     _Byakko...chikara o kashite_ - Byakko [White Tiger]...lend me your power     _mo ii_ - enough     _ara?_ - oh?     _are_ - what     _matte--!_ - wait--!     _chikusho_ - dammit     _daijobu ka?_ - are you alright?     _ee_ - yes     _kisama_ - bastard     _chigaimasu!_ - you're wrong!     _iya!!_ - no!!     _Kesshoku no Tenshi_ - Sho's side name; literally, "Blood-Red Angel"     _Akai Hitomi no Seitenshi_ - Cupido's side name; translating to something along the lines of "Blood-Eyed Spirit Angel"   
  
  


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    In the midst of the silent darkness, lit only by the flashing, gaudy coloured lights from the many-buttoned panel that was prominent in the room, two shadows crept. One of them reached out and fluidly hit a number of the buttons in rapid succession. When the figure finally removed their hand, a blood-red light flashed on the screen, and the two looked at each other, nodding in unison. They disappeared off into the cover of shadows again, leaving only the large red numbers, counting down on the screen, to illuminate the room.     Thirty minutes left.     Thirty minutes until the beginning of the revolution.

***************

    "So then..." The Master gracefully descended to the ground, in front of the group of five, eyes closed. "Shall we begin this fight? I'm very busy, you know, though I suppose I can't expect you insolent mortals to understand that...or...if you would prefer..." She waved a hand out to one side, and a light was illuminated on one corner of the arena. On a little blond girl whose face was streaked with tears. "OTOUSAN!!!"     "Naru!!" Kayin, without thinking, dashed towards his daughter. Eiji gasped when he noticed that the Master looked perfectly calm about it--in fact, was she almost...smirking? "Kayin-chan, DON'T!!"     The warning came too late. When Kayin reached for Naru, he touched a huge, invisible barrier made from Master's psychic power. There was a loud noise followed by a bright flash of released energy, and Kayin went flying backwards with a yell of pain. From inside, Naru cried out, "No, Otousan, you can't get in!!"     "Uuuugh..." Kayin staggered to his feet, clutching a shoulder which had started to seep blood, thanks to his previous injuries. "I think I can see that..."     "Kayin, are you okay?" Ellis ran up to him to make sure the wound wasn't critical, and after examination, she sighed in relief. "You'll be fine, but I'll have to look after it to make sure it doesn't get any worse--"     "There will be enough time for that later, Ellis." Sofia slowly sauntered past them, whip ready, eyes on the Master. "We have other things to take care of."     "Damn straight! We've gotta kick this bitch's ass!" Stepping into a comfortable battle stance, Tracy was more than ready to start fighting, her violet eyes flashing cockily.     Eiji had his sword out in an instant. "Oi, ko-musume! You really think you can take all of us on at once?" His overconfident streak flared up quickly, and he smirked. "Don't make me laugh."     "Dammit, Eiji, you don't want to piss her off," muttered Kayin, glaring daggers at the silent girl. "I don't know how, but she's got a hell of a lot of power in her."     Eiji looked over at his best friend, smiling. "You think we'll lose?"     Kayin locked eyes with Eiji for a split second, before closing his eyes. "If it's my daughter's life on the line, then there's no way I'm going to lose...don't think I could say the same about you though."     Shaking his head, Eiji sighed. "Baka."     "Um, guys?" Ellis broke in. "I hate to break up this little rivalry of yours, but if we're going to beat the Master, I'd like it to be sometime in the near future."     "So I'd think." Kayin tightened his grip on Excalibur, glancing at Eiji as he took up the fighting stance that they were both taught years ago. "Ready to do this, Eiji?"     Eiji grinned, before doing the same. "You better believe it, Kayin."     For a few seconds, all five of the fighters just watched the stoic Master, who only stood there, eyes closed. Tracy watched confusedly as Eiji and Kayin narrowed their eyes, both seemingly concentrating hard at something. "Yo, guys--what's she doing?"     "Gathering her ki. Shimatta...it's more than I expected," Eiji murmured. "Well, nothing to do now but try our luck...alright, minna, spread out and circle her. We're going to attack her from all sides, and there's a chance she may not be able to defend."     Tracy raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How much of a chance?"     "You really want to know?"     "Okay, um, never mind. Fine, we'll wait for your first move, then follow up -- let's fight our way through this!" With that, Tracy led as she, Kayin, Ellis, and Sofia circled Master while Eiji stood his ground, clutching his katana. With his eyes closed, he ran a gloved hand down the flat of the blade, until it started to glow a dim white. Sofia observed this display curiously. "What is he--"     "Eiji knows what he's doing." Kayin's words came from her left, and Sofia nodded, satisfied. Ellis gripped a Dirk, face set in determination. "We have to believe in Eiji-kun, and ourselves. Ganbatte, minna!"     And Eiji's eyes opened slowly, flashing a dangerous shade of red.     _Byakko...chikara o kashite._     In a blur of white and red, Eiji flew in, his sword ignited with crimson and orange ki-flames. In the instant that his foot left the ground, Master raised her right hand, and a giant sword, twice as big as Gaia's massive broadsword and made entirely of glowing blue ki energy, appeared out of thin air above her fingertips. She flung her hand down towards Eiji, and the mystical sword exploded right into the surprised adventurer's midsection, sending him sprawling backwards.     "Eiji-kun!" Ellis took two steps towards him, but Eiji coughed and yelled out, "No, don't worry about me--ATTACK HER!!"     Tracy crouched low to the ground, spinning one tonfa. "So we let you get the first hit on us, and now I'm gonna exert maximum force on you!" She charged towards Master, who simply conjured up another psi-sword again, and smacked Tracy away with it. She was flung backwards, nearly losing her grip on her tonfas. "Damn, that didn't quite work out the way I planned..."     Sofia ran forward, heels clicking against the hard stone floor, before leaping up and launching a Thunder Ring downward at Master. With her eyes still closed, Master dodged it and hit Sofia out of the air with another sword, stabbing it upwards. While her back was turned, Kayin snuck up and threw a Sonic Slash. Master simply stepped to the side, letting the energy fireball pass by her and hit Tracy, who was attempting to get back on her feet. Then, calling "DELETE!!", Master spun around and threw several consecutive psi-swords at Kayin, one after the other, followed by ki-blasts. He managed to roll out of the way once, but it was obvious the pain from his wounded shoulder made it hard, and he eventually was hit with the energy. Master then hovered a little higher in the air and swung a sword straight down, trying to stab Kayin with it. Fortunately he saw this coming, rolling out of the way and back onto his feet again, if not a little slower than before. Eiji was up again, taking to the air and executing a flame-exploding Ryuseikyaku. Just as he bore down on her, however, Master brought up an invisible forcefield which shocked Eiji with psi-energy, sending him back to the floor. Casting a glance at Eiji first to make sure he was all right, Ellis flipped into the fray, Dirks sparking with golden ki. But even she wasn't able to get even close to Master, as she just lifted her hand, and tossed a ball of ki-sparks at the unguarded Ellis, throwing her backwards and burning off a few petals of her chiffon skirt. Tracy tried to hit her with her Jackpot, only to have it blocked and countered with a few quick - but powerful - kicks. Sofia attempted to catch her off-guard with a Rattlesnake, but that also failed. The five fighters painfully regrouped, keeping a wary eye on the still-unharmed Master, who laughed coldly. "Is that really all you've got? What a pity...I was expecting more."     Tracy growled, checking the large, bleeding gashes on her upper leg. "Apparently she can fight us all at the same time. The hell are we supposed to do if we can't even get close?"     "I am certainly open to suggestions," Sofia added while rubbing a burn mark on her thigh.     Eiji opened his mouth to speak, but Kayin beat him to it. "She's on the defensive, so whenever Master finishes executing an attack, she leaves herself open for a few seconds. We have to use those few seconds to our advantage."     Eiji looked dubious for a second, but finally nodded. "Yeah, I guess that'll work."     "You GUESS that'll work??" Kayin shot his friend a dark look, voice rising. "Eiji, it's all we can do right now. Don't you see that??"     "Kayin, calm down!" Ellis got her small frame between the two, in an attempt to deflect what was looking to be another argument. "I know you're worried about Naru, but we have to try and beat Master first!"     "Ellis is right, you two," Sofia interjected. "We have to keep fighting."     Kayin took a deep breath, letting it out in what almost sounded like an exasperated sigh. "All right, all right. Let's get back to it."     "Remember," Eiji reminded them, "go in for the attack right after she tries to hit. If we can avoid her attack, our's might work."     The group turned back to face Master, ready to give the fight another shot. Master just smirked. "All your silly strategies are useless against me." In an attempt to prove her point, Master launched several more swords at Ellis, Sofia and Tracy. The latter two dodged in separate directions while Ellis flipped back, and Master didn't notice Kayin and Eiji coming towards her up through the middle until it was too late. Kayin swept through the hole in Master's defence and lifted her upwards in a Deadly Raise, and Eiji followed suit with a Hishouzan to hit her while she was still hanging in the air. Master fell back to the floor, but quickly floated to her feet again, a look of minor annoyance on her face.     "That won't happen again, I can assure you." With that, she hit Kayin with another sword, straight out in front of her. Before he had a chance to regain his breath, he received another hard smack across the face and wound up on the floor again as Ellis tried her Lollipop from behind. A bit of it caught Master in the back, but then she turned around and blocked the rest. She then unleashed on Ellis a series of fast punches in rapid succession, finally letting up when Eiji tried to slash in from the side. While he was distracting her, Sofia jumped in from behind, spinning with an aerial Aurora Revolution. This too did some damage, but not enough to get Master down -- and all five ended up scattered back on the ground again.     While they all struggled to get back up despite their injuries, Master almost seemed to smile, eyes still closed. "I must say you five are getting rather good at this. It's been a long time since I've fought warriors as strong as you. But even if you do manage to land the odd hit, you will still never win. All I have to do is destroy the five of you, and there will be no one left strong enough to stand in my way." A full, cruelly triumphant smile broke across her face. "My Himitsu Kessha will rule over everyone and everything!"     "You think it'll be that easy?" Tracy shouted, trying to stand up. "We're not letting you or your organization get the right to rule our world!"     "You mortals are too pathetic." Suddenly Master began to glow and sparkle as she gathered her ki, something that continued for several moments.     "What is she doing?" Sofia muttered.     "Be careful," Eiji cautioned, clutching his sword. "Keep your guards up."     Suddenly Master crouched low to the ground, spreading her arms out, and released a powerful explosion of glittering ki directed at the fighters. Even though they tried to block, it did little to lessen the damage. The clouds of ki-sparks honed in and slammed into the five already-wounded fighters, stinging them like bullets and knocking them down.     Ellis painfully tried to stand. "She's even more powerful than Uranus was!"     "And we beat Uranus," Eiji growled, gritting his teeth at the sight of the Master, smiling at their pain. "We can do the same to her."     Kayin groaned a little, noticing all the blood that was seeping through his red jacket. "In case you haven't noticed, she's the one kicking our asses."     "This time I have an idea. If we fake an attack, we can catch her off-guard."     Sofia shook her head. "But that is too simple. She will see right through it."     "It has to work!" Leaping off the floor, Eiji charged towards her again, sword held out in front as if he was about to perform a Hishouzan. And Master only smiled, faintly. Just as Eiji reached her, he quickly dropped and slid forwards, calling, "SHUGEKIDAN!"     But all of a sudden, Master wasn't in front of him anymore.     Eiji's eyes widened when he heard Ellis yell, "EIJI-KUN! Behind you!!", and he whirled around -- but not fast enough to avoid taking a psi-sword right in the gut. Eiji was propelled backwards, where he skidded to a halt and slumped on the floor, spitting out some blood in the process.     "Ha." Master crossed her arms, levitating herself off the ground a bit for emphasis. "You actually thought that plan would work? Simpleton. I am the world's most powerful psychic. Why wouldn't I see right through it?"     Ellis, who had run over to Eiji in concern, stood up angrily. "Stop this!! Why do you think you have to destroy everything??"     "My dear girl." The tone in Master's voice was chilling, as was the small smile that danced across her face.     "It was what I was created for."

***************

    "Ne..." the woman commented, glancing away from the ongoing battle on the monitors in the control room to look at the red numbers, which then shifted to show four minutes left. "Is this where we come in?"     "It appears so." Her partner readied his sword, turning away and nodding. "Saa...jikan da."

***************

    Silence rang throughout the room, until it was almost deafening to hear. The only sound that could be heard in the arena was the crackling of the blue fires that lit the pillars' torches lining around the outside of the ring. As the five fighters came together again, bruised and heavily beaten, not a sound came from any of them, nor from a shocked Naru in the corner or from the composed Master who stood before them, her diminutive figure illuminated by the flames burning behind her.     "Jesus Christ," Kayin swore. "We can't beat her, and I sure as hell can't get over to Naru with her in the way."     Eiji winced momentarily at a sharp pain through his right arm, and spoke. "I have a strategy."     "Great, just great," grumbled Tracy. "Your last one nearly got you killed." Sofia nodded, and even Ellis looked a little subdued. Eiji sighed. "This one might work, alright? Listen up. Four of us are going to jump in and attack Master. Kayin-chan, you're going to go to Naru-chan as soon as we distract her, and try to get her out."     "How the hell am I supposed to do that? I tried already, remember?"     "Yeah, but this time try using some kind of energy-based attack. It might be enough to short out the force field, because I can feel that Master's power is getting low and it might not hold up. If you can get Naru-chan out of there safely, then that's all we really need to care about right now."     Kayin thought about this for a second, then nodded. "You've got a point. Okay, I'll try it, but if this doesn't work..." He let his voice trail off, as the group of them exchanged looks, all knowing clearly what would happen if this didn't work. Eiji exhaled slowly. "Right. Let's do it."     Shakily, Sofia, Tracy, Ellis and Eiji all took up their stances once again, preparing to attack, while Kayin got ready to bolt for Naru. Eiji's heart raced as he felt the large flux of power that Master was collecting. "She's summoning her power. As soon as she leaves herself open, everyone jump in and attack." "NOW!"     The four fighters took to the air, weapons ready, bearing down on Master with the last of their strength as Kayin dashed out to the side, running straight to his daughter. Their tactic would have worked, except that it was right then that Master lifted her arms up, and pushed them straight out to the side, calling, "LAST JUDGE!!". A huge cloud of ki-sparkles appeared around her, surrounding her in a barrier of energy. And there was nothing the four could do against the wave of power that arose. They all struck the barrier and were blown away by its massive amount of energy, scattering them in all areas of the ring where most of them lay, hardly even moving or breathing. Master lowered her arms, and the ki dissipated. Kayin hardly noticed this, as he was intent on reaching his daughter. He didn't even notice Master turn her head over her shoulder slightly, murmuring, "Still playing games, are we..."     Kayin lifted his sword, and started to yell, "SONIC SLA--"     --But he was cut off as Master struck him with a psi-sword to his back, which sent him gasping and stumbling to the floor. He lay still.     "Otousan!! Otousan, wake up, please!!" Naru banged on the barrier with her small fists, desperate to try and rouse her foster father. Kayin groaned, reaching towards her and whispering, "Na...ru...", before slumping back down on the ground, motionless.     "OTOUSAN!!!"     "Hm." Master floated back down the arena floor, surveying the damage she had done to the group of warriors. "That's all you have left? What a shame. I was almost looking forward to a challenge."     And the silence dominated the room once again.     Eiji groaned, struggling to sit up, but he could barely move. He looked around at his fallen friends, all lying nearly unconscious on the floor. He knew they couldn't keep going, not now -- they were all too hurt to even stand a chance anymore. "Sofi-san...Tracy-san...Kayin-chan...Ellis-chan..."     _God, don't let it end like this..._     Gritting his teeth against the waves of pain, Eiji yelled, "Mo..ii...Master!!"     "Ara?" She turned her head towards him in mock-confusion. "You're still alive? I shall quickly remedy that. Say farewell to your life and your precious world, Eiji Shinjo." She leapt into the air above him, holding back a huge psi-sword, ready to swing it down for the final blow.     But as psychic as Master was, even she didn't foresee Eiji closing his eyes and rising off the ground, his body surrounded by bluish-white sparks of ki.     "What??" The sword disappeared as Master landed short of her target, dropping out of the air in surprise. She watched as Eiji turned his head towards Kayin, who, sprawled out on the floor, could just barely nod in agreement. He too stood up and became surrounded by ki-sparks, only his were flaming orange and red. With renewed strength, Eiji and Kayin stood back to back, holding their swords straight up in the same manner so it almost looked as though each was the mirror image of the other. Then, in one singular motion, they both whipped their swords back and shot towards Master in unison, ki exploding off their bodies and their yells echoing in the air.     "HELL'S INFERNO!!!!"     "BYAKKI-MOSHUKEN!!!!"     Even Master could not fully guard against the dually executed attack in time. The two swordsmen tore savagely into Master with their blades, slicing the exact same way and using every powerful kick at the exact same level, as was how they were taught to when they first learned this desperation attack. To finish the massive team assault, Eiji exploded upwards with a hyper-powered Hishouzan, carrying Master up into the air, and Kayin flew forwards into an equal Deadly Raise, sending Master back to the ground in an arc. The two landed safely on their feet, while Master crashed into the floor away from them. She lay there for a second, until her whole body started to glow with a bright blue aura. Eiji and Kayin tensed, ready for what looked to be another onslaught. Master's body slowly floated back up into an upright position, surrounded by a ball of blue light. Her eyes snapped open at last, and they glowed a pure, frightening hue of azure.     _"You...DARE...to strike ME??"_ Her voice seemed to resonate both out loud and through their minds, due to her psychic nature. _"You shall see who is the more powerful warrior!!"_     Inside the ball, Master lifted her hands upwards, with a mystical wind whipping strands of hair through her face and causing her robes to flap violently around her. She opened her mouth in what sounded like a primordial scream, and the blue light formed a dozen psychic swords and ki-fireballs that circled around her body -- all of the swords pointed straight at the two surprised swordsmen. She thrust her hands forwards, and the swords and ki-blasts shot towards Eiji and Kayin, intent on making their mark.     Except...     "REKKUZAN!!!!"     What resulted from the clash of the two energies was an explosion of monumental preportions. Eiji and Kayin crouched and held out their swords, attempting to block the power aftershocks, until they were nearly on their knees. When the wind and the sound finally died down, the two looked up at the figure standing in front of them. And Eiji's eyes widened. "Are...niisan...??"     Kayin was a little less receptive. "What the hell do you think you're doing??"     There was no movement from their former teacher. "It appears I'm saving my two ungrateful students."     _"Damn you!!"_ growled the Master, clenching a fist. _"I should have known to expect this from one of Uranus' cohorts!"_     It almost looked like Sho was smiling. "So even the great psychic Master has a lot to learn. It really is misfortunate that you won't live past today."     And as if on cue, there was a deep rumbling, reverberating throughout the entire arena and what seemed to be the entire building. Cracks started to etch across the walls and ceilings, and numerous explosions could be heard echoing through the headquarters.     Eiji turned to Sho in confusion. "Niisan, what did you do?"     "Self-destruction sequence. This place should be destroyed within two minutes. I suggest you two and your friends get out of here as fast as you can." With that, Sho disappeared. Eiji gasped and started to shout, "Niisan, matte--!!" but he was thrown to the ground by a shockwave that shook the arena. Getting back up just as quickly, he turned to Kayin and yelled, "Kayin-chan, come on, we have to help the others!"     "No way!!" Kayin shouted back, stumbling a bit as the floor vibrated underneath him. "I have to get Naru first!!"     But this seemed to give the angry Master an idea. With a maniacal grin, she teleported over to the force field and snatched a struggling Naru, holding a psi-sword against her throat. "I'll kill you all, starting with this little brat!!"     "NO! Don't hurt her!!" Trying to regain his footing, Kayin was thrown back to the ground by a shockwave that resonated through the arena, sending all the fighters - except Master - to their knees.     Getting up (after some struggle) and avoiding a chunk of falling stone, Tracy whirled around and yelled, "Dammit, guys, we've gotta get out of here NOW!"     "Not without Naru!" Kayin snarled back, readying Excalibur in case he had to fight again.     But just then, there was a large rumbling from around the arena as the pillars that held the blue flame toppled over, setting the outside of the ring on fire. A large crack snaked its way across the ring's stone surface, right underneath the Master's feet. Before anyone could even blink, half of the floor gave way, crumbling into the roaring firepit. It was then that Master lost her grip on Naru as she stumbled and fell off the broken arena, but although she had overexerted her psychic powers and was unable to levitate, managed to grab on to the edge with one hand. Naru cried, "OTOUSAN!!" and tried to make her way to Kayin amidst the destruction that was going on, but an aftershock sent her small body flying over the edge with a loud shriek.     "NARU!!!!!" Foresaking his own safety and pushing all the wracking pain out of mind, Kayin ran to the jagged edge of the arena to try and save his falling daughter, but his reach wasn't long enough...     Desperately, Naru reached out for something to hold onto. And she grabbed something that held.     When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was clutching the end of Excalibur, and Kayin was leaning over the top of the edge, holding onto the blade's sharp edge with both hands. Blood was running down the tongue of the sword in rivulets.     "O-otousan..." she barely whispered, green eyes wide, as Kayin managed to pull her up safely, grimacing in pain from the cuts across his hands. As soon as Naru's feet hit the ground, she hugged her foster father fiercely. "I knew you'd come, Otousan, I knew it...they told me you wouldn't, but I knew you'd never leave me..."     Kayin smiled weakly, hugging his daughter back. "I never would, Naru. Ever."     But Master herself wasn't so lucky. She was holding onto the edge of the ring with one hand, dangling precariously over the raging fire below. Gritting her teeth, she tried to pull herself up, but didn't have enough strength left. "Chikusho!!"     "Master-sama!!" There was the rushed sound of tapping heels against the floor, and Cupido ran out onto the arena, towards Master.     "Is that...Cupido?" Eiji said, looking back in confusion. "Why is she--?"     "Ah, my Blood-Eyed Spirit Angel..." Master almost smiled in relief. "Still saving me..."     But things took a darker turn then, when a figure dressed in shredded black stepped in-between Cupido and Master.     Swinging out her halberd, Cupido's normally solemn face contorted in anger, flaring in her red eyes. "Don't you DARE stand in my way!"     Vermilion only snickered in a mocking tone, pulling out his golden pistol and turning towards the helpless Master. Cupido gasped when she saw this and lifted her blade, preparing to strike Vermilion down, but she didn't expect him to pull out his long shotgun as well -- aiming it at her.     He pulled the trigger. Cupido hit the ground, blood splattering the floor.     In a flash, her partner, the other "angel", was at her side. "Cupido-kun, daijobu ka?"     "Ee," she whispered, setting her teeth at the pain. "It's just my leg, but I don't think I can walk."     Eiji, who was helping Ellis up, was a little more shocked by this interaction -- and at the identity of the other angel. "Niisan, what are--??"     Sho glared at Vermilion. "Kisama. What do you think you're trying to do?"     "Isn't it obvious enough, boy?" Vermilion smiled. "Abel wants Master dead. This whole alliance was nothing but a plan to get rid of her. Of course, I had no doubt that your Master would see through it, but I was better prepared. And I should add thanks to the two of you for your treachery. I knew you would go through with it, Etranger, but I had my doubts about _her_, being loyal to Master before you showed up, after all. And it turned out that her previous binds were stronger."     "Chigaimasu!" Cupido cried, before lowering her eyes. "Despite the planned treachery, I never wanted to see Master-sama die...she is--like me..."     He ignored this, and turned back to Master, who was trying to keep ahold of the edge. "You would have been killed eventually anyways, Master...surely with all your psychic power, you would have seen the events ahead. You never would have lasted that long."     His rose-shaded glasses gleamed with a lust for blood, as the scarlet-marked Vermilion smirked, aiming his pistol at her hand.     "You shall be the first sacrifice to Agon Teos -- _Master-sama_."     There was a gunshot blast, and Master's hand let go of the edge.     "IYAAAAA!!! MASTER-SAMA!!!!" Cupido screamed, and Sho practically had to hold her back as she watched her Master fall, screaming, into the fiery abyss.     After that, the fire exploded and raged even higher, and the walls began crumble, flaming rock and wood falling all around them. "We have to get out of here!!" Kayin yelled to the five fighters, clutching Naru tightly. "Everybody, get out now! Eiji, LEAVE THEM!!!"     "I'm not going to leave niisan here!" Eiji snarled back. "I won't!!"     "And I'm not going to see you die here! So don't be an idiot and come on!!"     "Eiji."     Eiji looked up, wide-eyed, at the sound of his name, spoken in the voice he had known all of his life.     "Go."     "But niisan--"     "I said go."     Eiji could only stare at his brother, and Cupido. She smiled at him. "Go on, adventurer. There are greater plans ahead for you."     He still didn't move, until Kayin growled and grabbed his shoulder, pulling Eiji away from the scene and out the door. Even after the five had safely made it out of the room, Eiji's desperate calls could still be heard.     "Niisan--! NIISAN!!!"

    Once the group, Eiji, Kayin and Naru, Sofia, Tracy and Ellis, had gotten out of the collapsing building, they made it to a small hill away from the building, turning around and watching it fall in front of their eyes.

    And still inside the arena room, Master's two angels, the Kesshoku no Tenshi and the Akai Hitomi no Seitenshi, sat among the collapsing and burning wreckage of the arena, raining down around them. Cupido sighed as she watched the falling chaos. "It's not the end...is it?"     Sho shook his head, the flames reflected back in his red eyes. "No. It never is."     And with that, the Himitsu Kessha headquarters shuddered and collasped in a number of large explosions. The group hit the ground to avoid the aftershocks and the showers of falling debris, until finally, it ended. They all slowly got to their feet. Eiji Shinjo watched the remains of the headquarters burn, with nearly unseeing eyes.     He was only snapped back when in front of him landed a large, half-scorched iron plate. He looked down at it, reading the three Japanese kanji inscribed on its surface.     _'Shitennou'_.

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	14. Epilogue: Aftermath

  


**- TOH SHIN DEN II: Thicker Than Water -**

_a Battle Arena Toshinden 2 fanfiction by Athena Asamiya and Kasumi Todoh_

  
**EPILOGUE: Aftermath**   
  
**Translations:**     _na_ - right? (it's the masculine version of "ne")     _mou!_ - geez!     _baka_ - idiot   
  
  


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    Many things happened on the day after the Himitsu Kessha was destroyed. But among them, the most important was that Toshindaibukai tournament was closed, and again, no winners were stated. Though the group of five fighters who lingered behind on the tourney grounds considered that the destruction of the Master meant that everybody had won.     "So, we finally did it," Sofia murmured, casting a glance back at where the Himitsu Kessha headquarter building used to stand.     "I can't believe it!! This is so exciting!!" cheered an enthusiastic Ellis, swinging her suitcase around as she twirled happily. "Now I can get back to my life, and focus on my dancing, and everything's gonna be just great now that we don't have to worry about--"     "--Saving the world again?" Kayin finished for her. He was holding Naru's hand, with his luggage in the other. "Yeah, I think we've gotten enough of that."     "No WAY!" Tracy grinned, tossing some blue hair out of her face. "That was such a kick-ass fight! Wish I could see more action like that working on the force!"     "And I am so entirely sure you would be able to take it all on by yourself, Tracy," Sofia said, sarcastically poking fun at her friend.     "Damn straight! Who else would?" Tracy wrapped an arm around Kayin's neck. "Now, I'm sure Kay here would love to--"     Kayin laughed and backed out of Tracy's hold. "Sorry, but never again for me. I think it'd be a lot better to spend some more time with my daughter..." He looked down at her petite figure, blond pigtails swaying with the breeze. "Na, Naru?"     "Na~~!!" she chimed in, causing the whole group to laugh. Eiji, however, wasn't laughing for long -- looking over the rubble of the building, he was still apparently very troubled over what had happened the day before. _Niisan...why did you save me, after what you did...?_ He closed his eyes, pain and confusion clearly written on his face. _I still don't understand...I don't understand anything..._     "Hey, Eiji-kun!" Ellis plopped herself down beside him, snapping him back to reality. "What's wrong? You look so upset!" Suddenly realizing the answer to her question, Ellis looked away from Eiji and hugged her knees. "I'm sorry. Your brother--"     "Yeah. He's...God, I don't know. I just don't know anymore." Eiji opened his eyes, sighing. "I was such a fool...thinking I could finish our old mission, when really, it was niisan who was right all along...there was no reason to even bring up our past. I should have just put it all behind me."     "You shouldn't do that!" Ellis sat up straight, glancing over at him in firm disagreement. "I'm never going to forget the memories of my family, no matter what happens between Father and I. And you shouldn't either, just because you and your brother aren't on the same side. Because I know--" She looked Eiji in the eyes, and smiled genuinely. "I know you'll have a family again, someday."     He stared at her for a minute, and finally smiled along with her. "You're right. Thanks, Ellis-chan. I'll try not to forget as much now."     She nodded in agreement. "You can't always forget, right? And memories resurface for a reason. I'm always gonna remember that." Her gaze stretched off into the distance. "And you'll remember your promise to me, right?"     Eiji pretending to look confused. "Huh? What promise was that again?"     Ellis shoved him playfully. "Mou! Baka Eiji!"     Suddenly, a little face framed by blond curls poked in between them. "Are Eiji and Ellis in looooove?"     "A--? W-what??" Eiji and Ellis jumped apart, gaping at a giggling Naru. She looked up at Kayin, who was walking up behind her. "Otousan, I think they are! I really really do!"     Kayin grinned at Eiji and Ellis. "Well, guess you never know." He then crouched down to his daughter's level, whispering to her, "Now, go thank Eiji for helping too."     Naru, small as she was, jumped up and hugged Eiji. "Thank you, Eiji, for helping save me!"     Eiji smiled and hugged her back. "Anytime, kid."     "We should get going, everyone," Sofia said, checking her watch. "Our flights will be leaving soon, and we still need some time to get to the airport."     Tracy nodded, picking up her suitcase. "She's right. C'mon, guys, I've had enough of _this_ place to last me a lifetime!"     "We're right behind you." Kayin and Naru followed after the two women, and Ellis did as well, until she noticed Eiji standing behind. "Eiji-kun, aren't you coming?"     Eiji shook his head. "There's something I have to do first. Wait for me, okay?"     "Alright, see you there!" Ellis waved to him, skipping off down the path towards the gates. Eiji watched her go, taking a deep breath. He turned around, facing the ruins of the Himitsu Kessha building.     And sure enough, as he had known all along, he saw a tall figure standing there. Watching him silently, face expressionless.     Eiji wanted to say something, that he was sorry, that he forgave him, anything. Anything to make up for the lost years between them, that stole so much from them, tore them apart and turned them against one another, changed them both for always and forever. But the words wouldn't come, and instead, he could only stare into the same fiery-red eyes as his own.     And his mission ended right there. He found the answer in his eyes.     Unblinking, unfeeling, the stranger turned and walked away, into the sun.

    _"Niisan?...Niisan, show me some of your sword tricks! Please?"     "All right, Eiji, all right. But just this once."     "Wow! Niisan, you're the best!"     And laughter echoed, reminiscent of a time long past, of two brothers, a family...
_

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    As the sun set that evening over the wreckage of the Himitsu Kessha headquarters and the now-deserted tournament grounds, it cast one particularly long shadow over the rubble. A shadow of a rather tall, gangly figure. The setting sun glinted off the golden guns that he carried in both hands, and a slight breeze ruffled his shredded black trenchcoat. He stared over the tranquil scene though rose-coloured glasses, then turned and started walking away. As he did, he muttered a single sentence into the wind.     "Now _our_ plans can begin..."

  
  


** To be continued...  
**


End file.
